The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the official sponsor.
The series is played between the winners of the playoff semifinals. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winner of the WNBA Finals is presented the championship trophy. The WNBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every WNBA season in history, the first being held in 1997.
Since 2005, the winner of the WNBA Finals has been determined through a 2–2–1 format. The first, second, and fifth games of the series are played at the arena of the team who earned home court advantage by having the better record during the regular season.
The WNBA's playoff format has changed several times in the league's history. From 1997 to 1998, a single championship game was held to decide the champion. In 1998, after the addition of two teams, the WNBA Finals were turned into a best-of-three games series. The finale series was known as the WNBA Championship from 1997 to 2001, before changing to reflect its NBA counterpart. In 2005, the WNBA Finals adopted a best-of-five format. In 2016, the WNBA changed to its current playoff format seeding teams #1 through #8 regardless of conference making it possible for two Eastern Conference or two Western Conference teams to meet in the Finals.
Statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual game wins and losses. Highlighted teams have folded and can no longer reach the WNBA Finals.
Finals | Team | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Years Won | Years Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | Minnesota Lynx | 4 | 2 | .667 | 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 | 2012, 2016 |
5 | Los Angeles Sparks | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2001, 2002, 2016 | 2003, 2017 |
5 | Phoenix Mercury | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2007, 2009, 2014 | 1998, 2021 |
5 | New York Liberty | 0 | 5 | .000 | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2023 | |
4 | Houston Comets 2 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 | |
4 | Seattle Storm | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 2004, 2010, 2018, 2020 | |
4 | Dallas Wings 3 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 2003, 2006, 2008 | 2007 |
4 | Connecticut Sun | 0 | 4 | .000 | 2004, 2005, 2019, 2022 | |
4 | Las Vegas Aces 5 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2022, 2023 | 2008, 2020 |
3 | Indiana Fever | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2012 | 2009, 2015 |
3 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2010, 2011, 2013 | |
2 | Sacramento Monarchs 4 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2005 | 2006 |
2 | Washington Mystics | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2019 | 2018 |
2 | Chicago Sky | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2021 | 2014 |
1 | Charlotte Sting 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2001 |
This table shows a list of records through the history of the WNBA Finals.
Finals records | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Milestone | Player | Team | Date | Statistic |
Points, individual | Angel McCoughtry | Atlanta Dream | October 5, 2011 | 38 points |
Rebounds, individual | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | October 4, 2017 | 20 rebounds |
Assists, individual | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | October 2, 2020 | 16 assists |
Steals, individual | Kristin Haynie | Sacramento Monarchs | August 30, 2006 | 5 steals |
Blocks, individual | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | September 7, 2014 | 8 blocks |
Points, team | N/A | Phoenix Mercury | September 29, 2009 | 120 points vs. Indiana (OT) |
Rebounds, team | N/A | Detroit Shock | September 8, 2007 | 50 rebounds vs. Phoenix |
Assists, team | N/A | Seattle Storm | October 4, 2020 | 33 assists vs. Las Vegas |
Steals, team | N/A | Connecticut Sun | October 8, 2004 | 15 steals vs. Seattle |
Blocks, team | N/A | Minnesota Lynx | October 2, 2011 | 11 blocks vs. Atlanta |
Career wins, coach | Van Chancellor Cheryl Reeve | Houston Comets Minnesota Lynx | 1997-2000 2011-2017 | 4 wins |
Margin of victory | N/A | Seattle Storm | October 6, 2020 | 33-point win (92-59) over Las Vegas |
Attendance, one game | N/A | Detroit Shock | September 16, 2003 September 16, 2007 | 22,076 |
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