2020 WNBA season
| 2020 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | July 25 – October 6, 2020[a] |
| Number of games | 22[b] |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, CBSSN, NBA TV |
| Top draft pick | Sabrina Ionescu |
| Picked by | New York Liberty |
| Season MVP |  A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas) |
| Finals champions | Seattle Storm |
| Runners-up | Las Vegas Aces |
| Finals MVP | Breanna Stewart (Seattle) |
The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Washington Mystics were the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase from 34 to 36 regular season games for each team, the introduction of a mid-season Commissioner's Cup tournament, and more games broadcast on ESPN and ABC.[1] This was the first season under a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the WNBA Players Association.[2] However, on April 3, the season was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league began a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, without fans present on July 25.[4][5][6] A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was named the league MVP. The Seattle Storm won the 2020 WNBA Finals over the Aces, and Breanna Stewart was named the Finals MVP.
Offseason
[edit]Collective Bargaining Agreement
[edit]On January 14, 2020, the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association announced that a new eight-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) had been signed.[7][2] Key provisions of the new CBA include:[8][9]
- The new maximum base salary, for which certain qualified players and those designated as "core players" are eligible, is $215,000, an increase from $117,500 under the previous CBA. Maximum earnings for top players can be over $500,000.
- The new minimum base salary for inexperienced players is $57,000 and for experienced players is $68,000. This is an increase from $41,965 and $56,375 respectively under the previous CBA.
- The "core player" designation, under which teams can retain players otherwise eligible for free agency, remains available to teams. However, while teams could designate a player as such up to four times under the previous CBA, this has been reduced to thrice in the next two seasons and twice thereafter.
- Apart from those players under the "core player" designation, all players who have met contract obligations for five years become unrestricted free agents. This is a decrease from the required six years under the previous CBA.
- The league will enter a 50-50 revenue sharing agreement beginning in 2021, conditional on meeting certain revenue growth targets.
- For road games, players will receive "comfort/economy plus" seats rather than ordinary economy class seats, and will receive individual hotel rooms.
- The league will provide a new paid maternity leave policy, where players will receive their full salaries while on leave. Players with children will be provided an annual $5,000 childcare stipend and two-bedroom apartments. Veteran players are also eligible for up to $60,000 in reimbursements for costs related to family planning.
- The league will institute a new “Diversity in Coaching” initiative to build a pipeline to coaching and offer other paid employment opportunities for players during the offseason. Under the initiative, WNBA players can work on coaching staffs or in front offices of NBA teams without a salary limit, regardless of the WNBA team's ownership structure.[c]
- The league will create expanded programs to address intimate partner violence and nutrition, but details about these programs were not included in the CBA.
- By the sixth year of the CBA, veteran players (defined for this purpose as those with more than 2 years of WNBA experience) will face season-long suspension for missing the start of training camp. The CBA includes several exceptions to this policy, among them serious injury or illness, maternity leave, national team commitments for non-US players, college graduations, and other significant life events.
Schedule changes
[edit]The WNBA originally planned that each team would play 36 total games in the 2020 season, an increase from the 34 games played in each season since 2003. Teams were to have 18 home and road games each.[1][10]
The original 2020 season schedule featured the inaugural Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament. In the first half of the season between May 15 and July 10, each team would have played its first home and road games against its five conference opponents. These games would have been designated as "Cup games", and the leaders in Cup standings in each conference were would have met in the Commissioner's Cup championship game scheduled for August 14, 2020.[1][10]
The 2020 WNBA schedule originally included a traditional month-long break in July and August to allow players to participate in the Summer Olympic Games. The 2020 games were, however, postponed till 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rendering this break unnecessary.
Postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic
[edit]As with most professional sports leagues, the WNBA season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 3, 2020, the WNBA announced that the start of its schedule would also be postponed.[3] The 2020 entry draft took place as originally scheduled on April 17, although it was done remotely.[3] On the originally scheduled opening day, May 15, 2020, Engelbert told ESPN that the players would get their first paychecks on June 1.[11] On June 4, ESPN reported that the WNBA was planning on a shortened 22-game regular season to be held at IMG Academy, with players receiving 60% of their salaries.[12] On June 9, The Next reported that many players were unhappy with the reduced salary, and the league revised its plans by June 12 to include full season salaries for players.[13] On June 15, the return-to-play proposal was approved.[5][14] The playoff format, which included single-elimination first and second-round games and then five-game series for the semifinals and finals, stayed the same and ended in October.[14]
2020 WNBA draft
[edit]The New York Liberty have the first pick in the 2020 WNBA draft.[15] The Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu first overall.[16] The full draft was televised on ESPN in the US and on both TSN2 and SN1 in Canada.[17]
Transactions
[edit]Retirements
[edit]- In June 2019, Camille Little announced her retirement after twelve years of playing in the WNBA. She won the WNBA Title in 2010 with the Seattle Storm.[18]
- In September 2019, Sancho Lyttle announced her retirement after fourteen years of playing in the WNBA. Lyttle made the WNBA All-Star game once, and twice lead the league in steals.[19]
- Alana Beard announced her retirement on January 22, 2020, after fifteen years of playing professionally. Beard is a four time WNBA All-Star and two time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She also won a WNBA Championship while playing with the Los Angeles Sparks.[20][21]
- Rebekkah Brunson announced her retirement on February 11, 2020, after fifteen years of playing professionally. Brunson stayed with the Minnesota Lynx as an assistant coach. Brunson had her jersey number 32 retired by the Lynx. Brunson finished her career as a five time WNBA Champion and five time WNBA All-Star. As of her retirement, Brunson was the active WNBA leader in rebounds.[22][23]
- Carolyn Swords announced she was retiring to join the marketing team of the Las Vegas Aces on February 24, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was let go from her position and resumed her career to re-join the Aces. Over her nine-year career, she played for four different teams.[24]
Free agency
[edit]Free agency negotiations started on January 28, 2020, and the signing period began on February 10, 2020.[25]
Coaching changes
[edit]| Off-season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2019 season | 2020 season | Reference |
| Indiana Fever | Pokey Chatman | Marianne Stanley | [26][27] |
| New York Liberty | Katie Smith | Walt Hopkins | [28][29] |
Arena changes
[edit]- In June 2019, it was announced that the Bankers Life Fieldhouse would undergo renovations to add an outdoor plaza and skating area. The Indiana Fever originally announced that they would play home games at the Hinkle Fieldhouse for the 2020–2022 seasons.[30] However, the entire 2020 WNBA season was moved to Bradenton, Florida, and the Fever split their 2021 season between Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
- In July 2019, it was announced that Talking Stick Resort Arena would be undergoing renovations and the Phoenix Mercury would be forced to play their home games at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the 2020 season.[31] The entire 2020 WNBA season was moved to Bradenton, Florida, and the Mercury returned to Talking Stick Resort Arena (at the time known as Phoenix Suns Arena) in 2021.
- On October 17, 2019, the New York Liberty announced that they would move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as their permanent home.[32] In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the Liberty's primary home venue was the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.
- On October 18, 2019, the Atlanta Dream announced that it would move from State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta to the new Gateway Center Arena in the southern suburb of College Park, Georgia.[33]
Regular season
[edit]All-Star Game
[edit]Traditionally, there is no WNBA All-Star Game during an Olympic year, such as 2020. The 2020 Tokyo games were postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the season being held at IMG Academy, the All-Star Game was not played in 2020.
Standings
[edit]| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 18 | 4 | .818 | – | 8–2 |
| 2 | x – Seattle Storm | 18 | 4 | .818 | – | 8–2 |
| 3 | x – Los Angeles Sparks | 15 | 7 | .682 | 3 | 5–5 |
| 4 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 8 | .636 | 4 | 4–6 |
| 5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 13 | 9 | .591 | 5 | 4–6 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Sky | 12 | 10 | .545 | 6 | 6–4 |
| 7 | x – Connecticut Sun | 10 | 12 | .455 | 8 | 7–3 |
| 8 | x – Washington Mystics | 9 | 13 | .409 | 9 | 6–4 |
| 9 | e – Dallas Wings | 8 | 14 | .364 | 10 | 1–9 |
| 10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 7 | 15 | .318 | 11 | 5–5 |
| 11 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 16 | .273 | 12 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – New York Liberty | 2 | 20 | .091 | 16 | 2–8 |
Notes
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoffs
- Home and Away records not shown, as all games played at a neutral location.
- Updated to include results from September 13, 2020
- Source
Schedule
[edit]Statistical leaders
[edit]The following shows the leaders in each statistical category during the 2020 regular season.[34][35]
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Arike Ogunbowale | Dallas Wings | 22.8 ppg |
| Rebounds per game | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks | 9.7 rpg |
| Assists per game | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | 10.0 apg |
| Steals per game | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | 2.0 spg |
| Blocks per game | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | 2.0 bpg |
| Field goal percentage | Ruthy Hebard | Chicago Sky | 68.2% (58/85) |
| Three point FG percentage | Alysha Clark | Seattle Storm | 52.2% (35/67) |
| Free throw percentage | Tiffany Mitchell | Indiana Fever | 95.1% (77/81) |
| Points per game (team) | Las Vegas Aces | 88.7 ppg | |
| Field goal percentage (team) | Chicago Sky | 49.1% | |
Playoffs
[edit]The WNBA continued its current playoff format for 2020. The top eight teams, regardless of conference, make the playoffs, with the top two teams receiving a bye to the semi-finals. The remaining six teams play in two single-elimination playoff rounds, with the third and fourth seeds receiving a bye to the second round.[36]
| First round: Single elimination (September 15) | Second round: Single elimination (September 17) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (September 20–29) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (October 2–11) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 62 | 83 | 68 | 84 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Minnesota Lynx | 80 | 7 | Connecticut Sun | 87 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 63 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 80 | 91 | 59 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Washington Mystics | 84 | 2 | Seattle Storm | 93 | 104 | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Seattle Storm | 88 | 89 | 92 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 59 | 4 | Minnesota Lynx | 86 | 79 | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 7 | Connecticut Sun | 73 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Connecticut Sun | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
Season award winners
[edit]Player of the Week Award
[edit]| Date Awarded | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | ||
| August 3 | Myisha Hines-Allen (1/2) | Washington Mystics | Breanna Stewart (1/2) | Seattle Storm | [37] |
| August 10 | Courtney Vandersloot (1/2) | Chicago Sky | A'ja Wilson (1/2) | Las Vegas Aces | [38] |
| August 17 | DeWanna Bonner (1/2) | Connecticut Sun | Napheesa Collier (1/1) | Minnesota Lynx | [39] |
| August 24 | Courtney Vandersloot (2/2) | Chicago Sky | Candace Parker (1/1) | Los Angeles Sparks | [40] |
| August 31 | Alyssa Thomas (1/1) | Connecticut Sun | Breanna Stewart (2/2) | Seattle Storm | [41] |
| September 8 | DeWanna Bonner (2/2) | Connecticut Sun | Skylar Diggins-Smith (1/1) | Phoenix Mercury | [42] |
| September 14 | Myisha Hines-Allen (2/2) | Washington Mystics | A'ja Wilson (2/2) | Las Vegas Aces | [43] |
Player of the Month Award
[edit]| For games played | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | ||
| August | Courtney Vandersloot (1/1) | Chicago Sky | A'ja Wilson (1/2) | Las Vegas Aces | [44] |
| September | Myisha Hines-Allen (1/1) | Washington Mystics | A'ja Wilson (2/2) | Las Vegas Aces | [45] |
Rookie of the Month Award
[edit]| For games played | Player | Team | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Crystal Dangerfield (1/2) | Minnesota Lynx | [46] |
| September | Crystal Dangerfield (2/2) | Minnesota Lynx | [47] |
Coach of the Month Award
[edit]| For games played | Coach | Team | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Bill Laimbeer (1/2) | Las Vegas Aces | [48] |
| September | Bill Laimbeer (2/2) | Las Vegas Aces | [49] |
Postseason awards
[edit]| Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes/Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player Award | A'ja Wilson | Forward | Las Vegas Aces | 43 of 47[50] | |
| Finals MVP Award | Breanna Stewart | Forward | Seattle Storm | [51] | |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Crystal Dangerfield | Guard | Minnesota Lynx | 44 of 47[52] | |
| Most Improved Player Award | Betnijah Laney | Forward/Guard | Atlanta Dream | 25 of 47[53] | |
| Defensive Player of the Year Award | Candace Parker | Forward/Center | Los Angeles Sparks | 16 of 47[54] | |
| Sixth Woman of the Year Award | Dearica Hamby | Forward | Las Vegas Aces | 44 of 47[55] | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Nneka Ogwumike | Forward | Los Angeles Sparks | 21 of 46[56] | |
| Peak Performer: Points | Arike Ogunbowale | Guard | Dallas Wings | 22.8 ppg[57] | |
| Peak Performer: Rebounds | Candace Parker | Forward/Center | Los Angeles Sparks | 9.7 rpg[57] | |
| Peak Performer: Assists | Courtney Vandersloot | Guard | Chicago Sky | 10.0 apg[57] | |
| Coach of the Year Award | Cheryl Reeve | Coach | Minnesota Lynx | 25 of 47[58] | |
| Basketball Executive of the Year Award | Dan Padover | General manager | Las Vegas Aces | 37 points[59] | |
| Team | Guard | Guard | Forward | Forward | Center |
| All-WNBA First Team[60] | Courtney Vandersloot | Arike Ogunbowale | A'ja Wilson | Breanna Stewart | Candace Parker |
| All-WNBA Second Team[60] | Diana Taurasi | Skylar Diggins-Smith | DeWanna Bonner | Napheesa Collier | Myisha Hines-Allen |
| All-Defensive First Team[61] | Alysha Clark | Betnijah Laney | Brianna Turner | Alyssa Thomas | Elizabeth Williams |
| All-Defensive Second Team[61] | Ariel Atkins | Brittney Sykes | Breanna Stewart | Napheesa Collier | A'ja Wilson |
| All-Rookie Team[62] | Crystal Dangerfield | Julie Allemand | Chennedy Carter | Jazmine Jones | Satou Sabally |
Coaches
[edit]Eastern Conference
[edit]| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Dream | Nicki Collen | Connecticut Sun (assistant) | 2 | 31–37 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Sky | James Wade | UMMC Ekaterinburg (assistant) | 1 | 20–14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 4 | 79–57 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Indiana Fever | Marianne Stanley | Washington Mystics (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Liberty | Walt Hopkins | Minnesota Lynx (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 7 | 130–108 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Western Conference
[edit]| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | Brian Agler | Los Angeles Sparks | 1 | 10–24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Aces | Bill Laimbeer | New York Liberty | 2 | 35–33 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Derek Fisher | New York Knicks | 1 | 22–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 10 | 231–109 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Phoenix Mercury | Sandy Brondello | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 6 | 118–86 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Seattle Storm | Dan Hughes | San Antonio Stars | 2 | 44–24 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Notes:
- Year with team does not include 2020 season.
- Records are from time at current team and are through the end of the 2019 season.
- Playoff appearances are from time at current team only.
- WNBA Finals and Championships do not include time with other teams.
- Coaches shown are the coaches who began the 2020 season as head coach of each team.
Activism
[edit]In response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic on August 26. Later that day, the NBA announced that in light of the Bucks' decision, all games for the day were postponed.[63] The WNBA joined the protest and postponed their three games that were originally scheduled on Wednesday: Washington Mystics vs. Atlanta Dream; Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx; Connecticut Sun vs. Phoenix Mercury.[64] Games were again postponed on August 27.[65] Games resumed on Friday, August 28.[66]
See also
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ The season was originally scheduled for May 15 – September 20, and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ The season was originally scheduled to have 36 games per team, an increase from the 34 games played in the previous season. However, the season was shortened and delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ This issue arose in the 2019–20 offseason when the Washington Wizards hired Mystics player Kristi Toliver as an assistant coach. Toliver could not receive a normal NBA assistant's salary because the Mystics and Wizards are owned by the same company; the previous WNBA CBA viewed such an arrangement as a way of getting around the salary cap.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "2020 WNBA Season to Feature Inaugural Commissioner's Cup, Expanded 36-Game Schedule for Teams and More ABC Games". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Megdal, Howard (January 14, 2020). "W.N.B.A. Makes "Big Bet on Women" With a New Contract". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular season". April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Report: The WNBA's New Proposal For The 2020 Season Includes Full Pay". UPROXX. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ @WNBA (July 10, 2020). "Basketball officially returns July 25th. Are you ready for #WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by @ATT#ATTtipoff" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (January 14, 2020). "WNBA, union reach 'groundbreaking' new CBA". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Ellentuck, Matt (January 14, 2020). "The WNBA's new CBA, explained". SBNation.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Spruill, Tamryn (January 14, 2020). "'The time is now for women's sports': Breaking down the major provisions in the WNBA's watershed CBA deal". The Athletic. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Feinberg, Doug (January 16, 2020). "WNBA expands to 36-game schedule adds Commissioner's Cup". ABC News. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (May 15, 2020). "WNBA players to be paid June 1 as league, union work through details". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (June 5, 2020). "Sources: WNBA in early talks for 22-game season". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "WNBA players, former Sparks GM Penny Toler speak out about WNBA proposed plan". The Next. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Voepel, Mechelle (June 15, 2020). "WNBA's 22-game regular season, playoffs OK'd". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Zucker, Joseph (September 17, 2019). "2020 WNBA Draft: Liberty Get 1st Pick; Full Order Revealed After Lottery". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (April 17, 2020). "Oregon superstar Sabrina Ionescu goes No. 1 to New York Liberty". espn.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "WNBA Draft 2020 Presented By State Farm To Be Held As Scheduled On April 17". wnba.com. WNBA. March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ "Mercury's Camille Little, final active player from 2007 WNBA draft, nears retirement". usatoday.com. September 5, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Mercury forward Sancho Lyttle retiring after 15 WNBA seasons". azcentral.com. September 13, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Alana Beard Retires From WNBA". wnba.com. WNBA. January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ "Alana Beard, four-time WNBA All-Star, announces retirement". espn.com. ESPN. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Hire Five-Time WNBA Champion Rebekkah Brunson as Assistant Coach". wnba.com. WNBA. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Youngblood, Kent (February 11, 2020). "Rebekkah Brunson will join Lynx coaching staff". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Carolyn Swords Announces Retirement, Joins Aces Front Office As Marketing Specialist". wnba.com. WNBA. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Free Agency Timeline Update". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Pokey Chatman Will Not Return As Head Coach & General Manager". WNBA.com. WNBA. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ "Indiana Fever Announce Marianne Stanley As New Head Coach". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. November 26, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "New York Liberty Announce Head Coach Katie Smith's Contract Not Renewed". wnba.com. WNBA. October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ Ayala, Erica (January 10, 2010). "What to make of the Liberty's hire of first-time head coach Walt Hopkins". The Athletic. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Indiana Fever Announce Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse As Home Venue For 2020, 2021 and Part of 2022 WNBA Seasons" (Press release). Indiana Fever. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^ "Phoenix Mercury Change In Home Court For 2020 Season". All About Arizona News. July 25, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ Nemchock, Eric (October 18, 2019). "New York Liberty set to make Barclays Center permanent home". Swish Appeal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Atlanta Dream Announces New Home Court at Gateway Center in College Park" (Press release). Atlanta Dream. October 18, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Official Leaders". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "Team Stats". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "WNBA Regular season and Playoff Formats". wnba.com.
- ^ "Stewart, Hines-Allen Earn First Players Of The Week Honors Of The Season". wnba.com. WNBA. August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Wilson, Vandersloot Earn Players Of The Week Honors For Week 2". WNBA.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- ^ "Bonner, Collier Earn Players Of The Week Honors For Week 3". wnba.com. WNBA. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Vandersloot, Parker Garner Players Of The Week Honors For Week 4". wnba.com. WNBA. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ "Thomas, Stewart Earn Player of the Week Honors For Week 5". wnba.com. WNBA. August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ "Diggins-Smith, Bonner Earn Player Of The Week Honors For Week 6". wnba.com. WNBA. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "Hines-Allen, Wilson Earn Player Of The Week Honors For Week 7". wnba.com. WNBA. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "A'ja Wilson, Courtney Vandersloot Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ "WNBA Announces Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Crystal Dangerfield Earns Rookie of the Month Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ "Crystal Dangerfield Earns Rookie of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "WNBA Names Bill Laimbeer Coach of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Laimbeer Earns WNBA Coach Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "A'ja Wilson Named WNBA Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Breanna Stewart Named WNBA Finals MVP (October 6, 2020)". wnba.com. WNBA. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Crystal Dangerfield Named WNBA Rookie Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Atlanta Dream's Betnijah Laney Named 2020 Most Improved Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Candace Parker Named 2020 WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ "Las Vegas' Dearica Hamby Named 2020 WNBA Sixth Woman Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "Los Angeles' Nneka Ogwumike Wins 2020 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award". wnba.com. WNBA. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Dallas' Ogunbowale, Los Angeles' Parker And Chicago's Vandersloot Earn 2020 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ "Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Las Vegas' Dan Padover Named 2020 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "A'ja Wilson And Candace Parker Unanimously Selected To 2020 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. WNBA. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
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