2010 WNBA season
Encyclopedia
The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

. The regular season began with a televised (ESPN2) meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...

 and the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

 in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 on May 15. The Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...

 hosted the 10th Annual All-Star Game
2010 WNBA All-Star Game
The Stars at the Sun game was played on July 10, 2010 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, home of the Connecticut Sun. This game, unlike previous non-Olympic year games, was a contest between the USA women's national team and a team of WNBA All-Stars. This game is not considered a WNBA...

 which was broadcast live on ESPN on July 10. This year, it was a contest between Geno Auriemma's
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...

 USA Basketball team and a single team of WNBA All-Stars. The Finals
2010 WNBA Finals
The 2010 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010 season of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the season's playoffs...

 was a series between the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...

 and the Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...

 which Seattle won 3-0.

2009/2010 WNBA offseason

  • The new television deal with ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

     continued during the 2010 season (runs 2009–2016). For the first time ever, teams will be paid rights fees as part of this deal.
  • As of the 2009 season, the maximum roster size per team was reduced from 13 to 11. Any team that falls below nine players able to play due to injury, pregnancy or any other factor outside of the control of the team will, upon request, be granted a roster hardship exception allowing the team to sign an additional player or players so that the team will have nine players able to play in an upcoming game or games. As soon as the injured (or otherwise sidelined) player(s) is able to play, the roster hardship player(s) – not any other player on the roster—must be waived.
  • On September 29, 2009, Nolan Richardson
    Nolan Richardson
    Nolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached teams to winning a NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, a NIT, and a Junior College National Championship, the only coach to do so. Most...

     was named head coach and general manager of a potential Tulsa
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...

    , Oklahoma
    Oklahoma
    Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

     franchise.
  • On October 20, 2009, the Detroit Shock
    Detroit Shock
    The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

     announced that the franchise would relocate to Tulsa as well as move to the Western Conference.
  • On November 20, 2009, the Sacramento Monarchs
    Sacramento Monarchs
    The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...

     folded.
  • On December 3, 2009, the New York Liberty
    New York Liberty
    The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

     announced that previously interim
    Interim
    Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...

     head coach Anne Donovan
    Anne Donovan
    Anne Donovan is an American retired basketball player and the current head coach of the women's basketball team at Seton Hall University. She was formerly an assistant coach, then interim head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA...

     would be named head coach.
  • On December 8, 2009, Cheryl Reeve
    Cheryl Reeve
    Cheryl Reeve is an American basketball head coach, currently the head coach of the reigning Women's National Basketball Association champion Minnesota Lynx.-Career:...

     was named head coach of the Minnesota Lynx
    Minnesota Lynx
    The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

    .
  • A dispersal draft was held on December 14, 2009 for all non-free agent Sacramento Monarchs
    Sacramento Monarchs
    The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...

     players.
  • On January 7, 2010, the Los Angeles Sparks
    Los Angeles Sparks
    The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

     named former player Jennifer Gillom
    Jennifer Gillom
    Jennifer "Grandmama" Gillom is a former WNBA basketball player who played for the Phoenix Mercury from 1997 to 2002...

     head coach.
  • On February 25, 2010, Sandy Brondello
    Sandy Brondello
    Sandra Anne Brondello is an Australian women's basketball player who played in Australia and the WNBA before retiring to become a coach, most recently with the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA. The 1.70 m Brondello is one of Australia's all-time best shooting guards...

     was named head coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars
    San Antonio Silver Stars
    The San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...

     when Dan Hughes
    Dan Hughes
    Dan Hughes is an American basketball head coach, most recently of the San Antonio Silver Stars of the Women's National Basketball Association .-Career:...

     stepped aside from the position.

Sacramento Monarchs dispersal draft

On December 14, 2009, the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...

 dispersal draft
Dispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team goes out of business, consolidates with another team, or for some other reason ceases to exist. Since most sports drafts are held in North America, this is where most dispersal drafts...

 was held. Three former Monarchs players, Kara Lawson
Kara Lawson
-External links:**...

, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba and Ticha Penicheiro
Ticha Penicheiro
Ticha Penicheiro is a Portuguese professional basketball player who plays for Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA...

 were free agents and therefore not eligible for this draft. Teams selected based inversely on their 2009 season finish.

The top picks were:
  1. Nicole Powell
    Nicole Powell
    Nicole Kristen Powell is a basketball player who was a standout at Stanford University and now plays for the New York Liberty in the WNBA...

    , New York Liberty
    New York Liberty
    The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

  2. Rebekkah Brunson
    Rebekkah Brunson
    Rebekkah Brunson is a basketball player playing forward for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. Previously, Brunson played for the Georgetown University women's basketball team....

    , Minnesota Lynx
    Minnesota Lynx
    The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

  3. DeMya Walker
    DeMya Walker
    DeMya Chakheia Walker is a professional basketball player from the United States.-High school:...

    , Connecticut Sun
    Connecticut Sun
    The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...



Four of the twelve teams making selections waived their picks.

2010 WNBA Draft

The WNBA Draft lottery was held on November 5, 2009. The lottery teams were the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...

, Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

 (from N.Y.
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

), Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

, Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...

 and Chicago Sky
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender...

. The top pick was awarded to Minnesota. Since Sacramento folded after the lottery, all the teams following Sacramento in the draft simply moved up a pick. Minnesota subsequently traded the first overall pick to Connecticut.

The 2010 WNBA Draft was held on April 8, 2010, in Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...

. Coverage of the first round was shown on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...

 (HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...

). Second and third round coverage was shown on ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...

 and NBA TV
NBA TV
NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...

.

The top picks were:
  1. Tina Charles
    Tina Charles (basketball)
    Tina Charles is an American women's basketball player with the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Galatasaray Medical Park of the TWBL. Originally from Jamaica, New York, Charles was drafted 1st overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft...

    , Connecticut Sun
    Connecticut Sun
    The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...

  2. Monica Wright
    Monica Wright
    Monica Wright is a professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Botaş SK of the Turkish Women's League. She was selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2010 WNBA Entry Draft.-Early life:...

    , Minnesota Lynx
    Minnesota Lynx
    The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

  3. Kelsey Griffin
    Kelsey Griffin
    Kelsey Griffin is a professional basketball player currently playing for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. She was drafted 3rd overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft. Griffin played college ball for Nebraska, leading the Cornhuskers to their best ever season...

    , Minnesota Lynx
    Minnesota Lynx
    The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

  4. Epiphanny Prince
    Epiphanny Prince
    Epiphanny Prince is an American basketball player for Rutgers University Women's team and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey. She is best known for scoring 113 points for Murry Bergtraum in a high school game in 2006, breaking a girls' national prep record previously held by Hall of Famer Cheryl...

    , Chicago Sky
    Chicago Sky
    The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender...

  5. Jayne Appel
    Jayne Appel
    Jayne Appel is a center for the San Antonio Silver Stars in the WNBA. She played collegiate basketball at Stanford University.-High school career:...

    , San Antonio Silver Stars
    San Antonio Silver Stars
    The San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...


Standings

All-Star Game

The 2010 WNBA All-Star Game was hosted by the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...

 on July 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena
The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut located inside Mohegan Sun. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span...

. Coverage of the game began at 3:30pm on ESPN. This marks the third time the Sun have hosted the annual event. Unlike in previous years, this game was a contest between Geno Auriemma's
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...

 USA basketball team and a team of WNBA all-stars.

Statistic leaders

The following shows the leaders for each statistic during the 2010 regular season.

Playoffs and Finals

Player of the Week award


Player of the Month award


Rookie of the Month award


Postseason awards


See also

  • WNBA
    Women's National Basketball Association
    The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

  • WNBA Draft
    WNBA Draft
    The WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997...

  • WNBA All-Star Game
  • WNBA Playoffs
    WNBA Playoffs
    The WNBA Playoffs is a best-of-three elimination tournament between eight teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association , ultimately deciding the final two teams who will play in the WNBA Finals....

  • WNBA Finals
    WNBA Finals
    The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002....


External links

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