2018 WNBA season

The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Minnesota Lynx are the defending champions. The regular season began on May 18, with the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Dallas Wings. The season ended with the Seattle Storm defeating the Washington Mystics 3-0 in the WNBA Finals. This was the third championship for the Storm. Seattle's Breanna Stewart was named regular season and finals MVP.

Draft

The Las Vegas Aces selected A'ja Wilson first in the 2018 WNBA Draft. The draft was televised nationally on the ESPN networks (Round 1 on ESPN2, Rounds 2 and 3 on ESPNU).

Retirement On August 21, 2017, Plenette Pierson announced her retirement at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Pierson played 15 seasons and won three championships with the Detroit Shock and Minnesota Lynx. On February 3, 2018, Jia Perkins announced her retirement from the WNBA. Perkins played 14 seasons and won one championship with the Minnesota Lynx.

Free agency Free agency negotiations began on February 1.

Coaching changes +Off-seasonTeam2017 season2018 seasonSeattle StormGary KloppenburgDan HughesNew York LibertyBill LaimbeerKatie SmithLas Vegas AcesVickie JohnsonBill LaimbeerAtlanta DreamMichael CooperNicki CollenMid-seasonTeamOutgoing coachIncoming coachDallas WingsFred WilliamsTaj McWilliams-Franklin

Transactions

Arena changes In addition to the relocated Las Vegas Aces, two other teams announced permanent moves to new arenas for the 2018 season. The Chicago Sky moved from Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont, Illinois to the newly opened Wintrust Arena at the McCormick Place exhibition center on Chicago's Near South Side. The move was initially announced by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, owner and operator of McCormick Place, on July 25, 2017. The Sky did not make their formal announcement until February 2, 2018. The New York Liberty announced on February 8, 2018 that they would move their primary home from Madison Square Garden, where they had played since the league's first season in 1997, to the Westchester County Center in suburban White Plains, New York. The team planned to play 15 of its 17 home games in White Plains, with the remaining two at the Garden.

Regular season

All-Star Game

The 2018 WNBA All-Star Game was hosted by the Minnesota Lynx on July 28 at the Target Center. Coverage of the game began at 3:30pm. This is the first time the Lynx have hosted the annual event. This season a new selection format was used. Fans, coaches, media and players would all vote for players to be selected to the All-Star Game. The top 22 players receiving votes based on this weighting were selected to the All-Star Game. There was not a restriction on number of players from one conference. The top 2 vote getters were captains of the two All-Star teams and selected their teams from the pool of the remaining 20 players. The 22 All-Stars were revealed on July 17, 2018. The rosters were revealed on July 19, 2018.

Standings Source:

Statistic leaders The following shows the leaders for each statistic during the 2018 regular season. CategoryPlayerTeamStatistic Points per game Liz Cambage Dallas Wings 23.0 PPG Rebounds per game Sylvia Fowles Minnesota Lynx 11.9 RPG Assists per game Courtney Vandersloot Chicago Sky 8.6 APG Steals per game Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx 1.7 SPG Blocks per game Brittney Griner Phoenix Mercury 2.6 BPG Field goal percentage Sylvia Fowles Minnesota Lynx 61.9% (237–383) Three point FG percentage Briann January Phoenix Mercury 47.0% (77–182) Free throw percentage Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury 92.5% (172–186) Points per game Team Stat Connecticut Sun 87.6 PPG Field goal percentage Team Stat Seattle Storm 46.8%

Schedule

| rowspan=2|Thu April 12 || colspan=3| 2018 WNBA draft: first round ||colspan=4| ESPN2 || New York City |- | colspan=3| 2018 WNBA draft: later rounds ||colspan=4| ESPNU || New York City |- | rowspan=3|Sun May 6 || Washington Mystics || vs. || Minnesota Lynx || 85–90 MIN || Robinson (18) || Tied (6) || Wright (4) || Wells Fargo Arena4,203 |- | Atlanta Dream || @ || Chicago Sky || 78–61 ATL || Hayes (16) || Parker (8) || Montgomery (7) || Wintrust Arena |- | China || @ || Las Vegas Aces || 63–98 LVA || Ting (22) || Tied (7) || Tied (5) || Mandalay Bay Events Center |- | rowspan=3|Mon May 7 || Chicago Sky || @ || Indiana Fever || 65–79 IND || Mavunga (18) || Tied (8) || Peterson (4) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse4,377 |- | Dallas Wings || vs. || New York Liberty || 76–69 DAL || Stevens (19) || Stevens (10) || Zellous (4) || Mohegan Sun Arena |- | Los Angeles || @ || Connecticut Sun || 65–68 CON || Thomas (17) || Tied (8) || Pondexter (3) || Mohegan Sun Arena |- | rowspan=3|Tues May 8 || Phoenix Mercury || @ || Seattle Storm || 69–73 SEA || Loyd (15) || Tied (6) || Tied (3) || KeyArena3,502 |- | Los Angeles || vs. || New York Liberty || 75–81 NYL || Nurse (19) || Gray (14) || Pondexter (5) || Mohegan Sun Arena1,106 |- | Dallas Wings || @ || Connecticut Sun || 58–79 CON || Williams (18) || A. Thomas (12) || A. Thomas (5) || Mohegan Sun Arena3,695 |- | Fri May 11 || Atlanta Dream || @ || Connecticut Sun || 58–74 CON || Tied (13) || Williams (6) || Tied (3) || Webster Bank Arena1,610 |- | rowspan=4|Sat May 12 || China || @ || Los Angeles || 61–82 LAS || Gray (17) || Wang Jaiqui (8) || Gray (10) || Hutto-Patterson Gym1,650 |- | Indiana Fever || @ || Washington Mystics || 56–91 WAS || Tied (15) || Hawkins (7) || Tied (3) || Acierno Arena (University of Delaware)3,323 |- | Chicago Sky || @ || Minnesota Lynx || 58–87 MIN || Fowles (17) || Fowles (9) || Tied (5) || Target Center5,024 |- | Seattle Storm || @ || Phoenix || 61–84 SEA || Canada (17) || Lyttle (11) || Bird (5) || Talking Stick Resort Arena4,535 |- | Sun May 13 || Las Vegas Aces || @ || Dallas Wings || 55–68 DAL || Stevens (12) || Wilson (12) || Chong (4) || College Park Center

! style="background:#094480; color:white" | 2018 WNBA regular season

| Fri May 18 || Dallas Wings || @ || Phoenix Mercury || NBA TV, FSA+ || 78–86 PHO || Taurasi (26) || Bonner (12) || Diggins-Smith (9) || Talking Stick Resort Arena11,210 |- | Sat May 19 || Chicago Sky || @ || Indiana Fever || NBA TV, WNDY || 82–64 CHI || Quigley (19) || Tied (8) || Tied (5) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse6,565 |- | rowspan=6| Sun May 20 || Las Vegas Aces || @ || Connecticut Sun || Twitter || 65–101 CON || Young (23) || A. Thomas (17) || J. Thomas (6) || Mohegan Sun Arena6,637 |- | Indiana Fever || @ || Washington Mystics || NBA TV, NBCSWA || 64–82 WAS || Achonwa (21) || Achonwa (12) || Delle Donne (7) || Capital One Arena7,400 |- | Atlanta Dream || @ || Dallas Wings || Twitter, FFSW-DAL+ || 78–101 DAL || Diggins–Smith (25) || Christmas–Kelly (10) || Davis (5) || College Park Center5,907 |- | Los Angeles Sparks || @ || Minnesota Lynx || ESPN2 || 77–76 LAS || Sims (21) || Fowles (12) || Whalen (9) || Target Center13,032 |- | New York Liberty || @ || Chicago Sky || Twitter, The U Too, MSG+ || 76–80 CHI || Quigley (22) || Parker (8) || Hartley (6) || Wintrust Arena7,922 |- | Phoenix Mercury || @ || Seattle Storm || Twitter, KZJO-TV || 87–82 PHO || Griner (29) || Stewart (15) || Bonner (7) || KeyArena8,602 |- | rowspan=2| Tues May 22 || Los Angeles Sparks || @ || Indiana Fever || Twitter || 87–70 LAS || Ogwumike (25) || Ogwumike (10) || Gray (8) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse4,742 |- | Las Vegas Aces || @ || Washington Mystics || League Pass, Monumental || 70–75 WAS || Delle Donne (23) || Delle Donne (11) || Allen (6) || Capital One Arena4,509 |- | rowspan=3| Wed May 23 || Atlanta Dream || @ || Chicago Sky || LeaguePass || 81–63 ATL || Hayes (22) || Breland (10) || Williams (6) || Wintrust Arena6,147 |- | Dallas Wings || @ || Minnesota Lynx || League Pass, FSNTH || 68–76 MIN || Fowles (23) || Fowles (20) || Whalen (8) || Target Center7,834 |- | Seattle Storm || @ || Phoenix Mercury || League Pass || 87–71 SEA || Loyd (29) || Stewart (11) || Tied (4) || Talking Stick Resort Arena8,068 |- | rowspan=2| Thurs May 24 || Los Angeles Sparks || @ || Connecticut Sun || ESPN2 || 94–102 CON || Gray (21) || A. Thomas (9) || J. Thomas (8) || Mohegan Sun Arena5,571 |- | Washington Mystics || @ || Indiana Fever || ESPN3, Monumental || 93–84 WAS || Delle Done (26) || Delle Done (10) || T. Mitchell (3) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse4,415 |- | rowspan=2| Fri May 25 || Minnesota Lynx || @ || New York Liberty || LeaguePass, MSG+ || 78–72 MIN || Augustus (21) || Charles (12) || Robinson (5) || Westchester County Center2,315 |- | Chicago Sky || @ || Seattle Storm || LeaguePass, KZJO-TV, The U Too || 91–95 (OT) SEA || Loyd (29) || Howard (10) || Tied (9) || KeyArena5,866 |- | rowspan=2| Sat May 26 || Dallas Wings || @ || Atlanta Dream || LeaguePass, FSSE-ATL || 78–70 DAL || Diggins-Smith (24) || Cambage (14) || Tied (4) || McCamish Pavilion4,749 |- | Indiana Fever || @ || Connecticut Sun || LeaguePass || 77–86 CON || A. Thomas (21) || McCall (9) || Wheeler (9) || Mohegan Sun Arena5,843 |- | rowspan=3| Sun May 27 || Minnesota Lynx || @ || Washington Mystics || LeaguePass, NBCSWA || 78–90 WAS || Toliver (19) || Hines–Allen (13) || Cloud (8) || Capital One Arena5,723 |- | Phoenix Mercury || @ || Los Angeles Sparks || LeaguePass, SpecSN || 72–80 LAS || Gray (23) || Ogwumike (8) || Gray (8) || Staples Center11,201 |- | Seattle Storm || @ || Las Vegas Aces || NBA TV, KZJO-TV || 105–98 SEA || Wilson (27) || Stewart (9) || Loyd (9) || Mandalay Bay Events Center7,662 |- | rowspan=3| Tues May 29 || Minnesota Lynx || @ || Atlanta Dream || Twitter || 74–76 ATL || Hayes (20) || Fowles (13) || Robinson (6) || McCamish Pavilion3,785 |- | Dallas Wings || @ || New York Liberty || LeaguePass, MSG+ || 89–94 NYL || Charles (34) || Cambage (16) || Zellous (9) || Westchester County Center1,516 |- | Washington Mystics || @ || Seattle Storm || Twitter, KZJO-TV || 77–81 SEA || Loyd (27) || Hines–Allen (11) || Bird (7) || KeyArena5,235 |- | Wed May 30 || Washington Mystics || @ || Phoenix Mercury || LeaguePass, Monumental || 103–95 WAS || Toliver (30) || Hawkins (12) || Taurasi (7) || Talking Stick Resort Arena8,188 |- | Thurs May 31 || Las Vegas Aces || @ || Seattle Storm || LeaguePass, KZJO-TV || 74–101 SEA || Tied (21) || Russell (8) || Bird (9) || KeyArena5,235

| rowspan=3 | Fri June 1 || Phoenix Mercury || @ || Minnesota Lynx || ESPN2 || 95–85 PHO || Taurasi (29) || Griner (9) || Taurasi (6) || Target Center8,830 |- | Connecticut Sun || @ || Chicago Sky || ESPN3, The U Too, NBCSB || 110–72 CON || Tied (20) || A. Thomas (13) || Vandersloot (7) || Wintrust Arena4,131 |- | Washington Mystics || @ || Las Vegas Aces || LeaguePass, ATTSN-RM, Monumental || 73–85 LVA || Wilson (26) || Wilson (12) || Tied (4) || Mandalay Bay Events Center5,575 |- | rowspan=2 | Sat June 2 || New York Liberty || @ || Indiana Fever || LeaguePass, FSIND, MSG+ || 87–81 NYL || Nurse (34) || Stokes (12) || Wheeler (7) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse5,575 |- | Seattle Storm || @ || Dallas Wings || LeaguePass, FSSW-DAL+ || 90–94 DAL || Stewart (28) || Howard (9) || Canada (9) || College Park Center5,191 |- | rowspan=4 | Sun June 3 || Phoenix Mercury || @ || Atlanta Dream || LeaguePass, FSSE-ATL || 78–71 PHO || McCoughtry (21) || McCoughtry (10) || Taurasi (8) || McCamish Pavilion3,796 |- | Connecticut Sun || @ || Washington Mystics || LeaguePass, NBCSWA, NBCSB || 88–64 CON || J. Thomas (25) || Williams (10) || A. Thomas (4) || Capital One Arena5,176 |- | Minnesota Lynx || @ || Los Angeles Sparks || LeaguePass, SpecSN || 69–77 LAS || Parker (19) || Parker (10) || Gray (6) || Staples Center13,500 |- | Las Vegas Aces || @ || Chicago Sky || LeaguePass, The U Too || 90–94 CHI || De Shields (25) || Parker (13) || Vandersloot (9) || Wintrust Arena5,052 |- | rowspan=2 | Tues June 5 || Phoenix Mercury || @ || New York Liberty || Twitter, MSG+ || 80–74 PHO || Griner (26) || Tied (8) || Taurasi (8) || Madison Square Garden7,215 |-