2005 WNBA season
| 2005 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 21 – September 20, 2005 |
| Number of games | 34 |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Total attendance | 1,805,937 |
| Average attendance | 8,172 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN |
| 2005 WNBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Janel McCarville |
| Picked by | Charlotte Sting |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Sheryl Swoopes (Houston) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Connecticut Sun |
| Eastern runners-up | Indiana Fever |
| Western champions | Sacramento Monarchs |
| Western runners-up | Houston Comets |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Sacramento Monarchs |
| Runners-up | Connecticut Sun |
| Finals MVP | Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento) |
The 2005 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's ninth season. The season ended with the Sacramento Monarchs winning their first WNBA Championship.
Regular season
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Sun x | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 14–3 | 12–5 | 13–7 |
| Indiana Fever x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 5.0 | 14–3 | 7–10 | 14–6 |
| New York Liberty x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 8.0 | 10–7 | 8–9 | 9–11 |
| Detroit Shock x | 16 | 18 | .471 | 10.0 | 12–5 | 4–13 | 11–9 |
| Washington Mystics o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 10.0 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 9–11 |
| Charlotte Sting o | 6 | 28 | .176 | 20.0 | 5–12 | 1–16 | 4–16 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 25 | 9 | .735 | – | 15–2 | 10–7 | 17–5 |
| Seattle Storm x | 20 | 14 | .588 | 5.0 | 14–3 | 6–11 | 13–9 |
| Houston Comets x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 6.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 11–11 |
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 17 | 17 | .500 | 8.0 | 11–6 | 6–11 | 12–10 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 9.0 | 11–6 | 5–12 | 12–10 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 14 | 20 | .412 | 11.0 | 11–6 | 3–14 | 9–13 |
| San Antonio Silver Stars o | 7 | 27 | .206 | 18.0 | 5–12 | 2–15 | 3–19 |
Playoffs
| Conference semifinals Best-of-3 | Conference finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
Awards
Reference:[1]
Individual
| Award | Winner | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | |
| Finals MVP | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever | |
| Most Improved Player | Nicole Powell | Sacramento Monarchs | |
| Peak Performers | Scoring | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| Rebounding | Cheryl Ford | Detroit Shock | |
| Dish and Assist | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | |
| Rookie of the Year | Temeka Johnson | Washington Mystics | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Taj McWilliams-Franklin | Connecticut Sun | |
| Coach of the Year | John Whisenant | Sacramento Monarchs | |
Team
Players of the Week
| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May 30 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| June 6 | Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm |
| June 13 | Taj McWilliams-Franklin | Connecticut Sun |
| June 20 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever |
| June 27 | Lindsay Whalen | Connecticut Sun |
| July 5 | Sheryl Swoopes (2) | Houston Comets |
| July 18 | Tamika Catchings (2) | Indiana Fever |
| July 25 | Becky Hammon | New York Liberty |
| August 1 | Janell Burse | Seattle Storm |
| August 8 | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| August 15 | Katie Douglas | Connecticut Sun |
| August 22 | Tamika Catchings (3) | Indiana Fever |
Coaches
Eastern Conference
- Charlotte Sting: Trudi Lacey and Tyrone Bogues
- Connecticut Sun: Mike Thibault
- Detroit Shock: Bill Laimbeer
- Indiana Fever: Brian Winters
- New York Liberty: Pat Coyle
- Washington Mystics: Richie Adubato
Western Conference
- Houston Comets: Van Chancellor
- Los Angeles Sparks: Henry Bibby and Joe Bryant
- Minnesota Lynx: Suzie McConnell Serio
- Phoenix Mercury: Carrie Graf
- Sacramento Monarchs: John Whisenant
- San Antonio Silver Stars: Dan Hughes
- Seattle Storm: Anne Donovan
References
- ^ "2005 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.