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2003 WNBA season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | 2003 WNBA season |
| league | Women's National Basketball Association |
| sport | Basketball |
| logo_size | 75px |
| caption | The WNBA logo. |
| duration | May 22 - September 16, 2003 |
| no_of_games | 34 |
| no_of_teams | 14 |
| attendance | 2,100,630 |
| average_attendance | 8,826 |
| TV | ABC, ESPN, Oxygen |
| draft | 2003 WNBA Draft |
| draft_link | 2003 WNBA Draft |
| top_pick | USA LaToya Thomas |
| picked_by | Cleveland Rockers |
| season | Regular season |
| MVP | AUS Lauren Jackson (Seattle) |
| MVP_link | Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award |
| playoffs | Playoffs |
| playoffs_link | WNBA Playoffs |
| conf1 | Eastern |
| conf1_link | Eastern Conference (WNBA) |
| conf1_champ | Detroit Shock |
| conf1_runner-up | Connecticut Sun |
| conf2 | Western |
| conf2_link | Western Conference (WNBA) |
| conf2_champ | Los Angeles Sparks |
| conf2_runner-up | Sacramento Monarchs |
| finals | Finals |
| finals_link | WNBA Finals |
| finals_champ | Detroit Shock |
| finals_runner-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| finals_MVP | USA Ruth Riley (Detroit) |
| finals_MVP_link | WNBA Finals MVP Award |
| seasonslist | List of WNBA seasons |
| seasonslistnames | WNBA |
| prevseason_link | 2002 WNBA season |
| prevseason_year | 2002 |
| nextseason_link | 2004 WNBA season |
| nextseason_year | 2004 |
| conf1_runner-up =Connecticut Sun | conf2_runner-up =Sacramento Monarchs | finals_runner-up =Los Angeles Sparks The 2003 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's seventh season. It was the first season in which teams either folded or relocated, as well as the first to have teams that were not co-owned with NBA teams. The Orlando Miracle relocated to Connecticut and became the Connecticut Sun, the Utah Starzz relocated to San Antonio, Texas and became the San Antonio Silver Stars.
Meanwhile, both the Miami Sol and the Portland Fire folded, while the Charlotte Sting became the second WNBA team without a brother NBA team. A one-round dispersal draft was held on April 24, 2003 to reassign former Sol and Fire players.
The schedule increased from 32 games per team to 34. The season ended with the Detroit Shock winning their first WNBA Championship.
Miami Sol and Portland Fire dispersal draft
Main article: 2003 WNBA dispersal draft
On April 24, 2003, the dispersal draft for the Miami Sol and Portland Fire was held. The order of selection was determined by teams' 2002 regular season records, going from worst to first. Former Sol and Fire players not selected in the dispersal draft became unrestricted free agents.
The top four picks were:
| Pick | Player | Nationality | New team | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruth Riley | Detroit Shock | Miami Sol | ||
| 2 | Sheri Sam | Minnesota Lynx | |||
| 3 | Betty Lennox | Cleveland Rockers | |||
| 4 | Tamicha Jackson | Phoenix Mercury | Portland Fire |
Regular season
Standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Playoffs
Main article: 2003 WNBA playoffs
Awards
Reference:
Individual
| Award | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| **Most Valuable Player (MVP)** | Lauren Jackson | [Seattle Storm](2003-seattle-storm-season) |
| **Finals MVP** | Ruth Riley | [Detroit Shock](2003-detroit-shock-season) |
| **Defensive Player of the Year** | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| **Most Improved Player** | Michelle Snow | Houston Comets |
| **Peak Performers** | **Scoring** | Lauren Jackson |
| **Rebounding** | Chamique Holdsclaw | [Washington Mystics](2003-washington-mystics-season) |
| **Rookie of the Year** | Cheryl Ford | Detroit Shock |
| **Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award** | Edna Campbell | [Sacramento Monarchs](2003-sacramento-monarchs-season) |
| **Coach of the Year** | Bill Laimbeer | Detroit Shock |
Team
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| **All-WNBA** | **First Team** | Lauren Jackson |
| Tamika Catchings | [Indiana Fever](2003-indiana-fever-season) | |
| Lisa Leslie | [Los Angeles Sparks](2003-los-angeles-sparks-season) | |
| Katie Smith | [Minnesota Lynx](2003-minnesota-lynx-season) | |
| Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | |
| **Second Team** | Sheryl Swoopes | [Houston Comets](2003-houston-comets-season) |
| Swin Cash | [Detroit Shock](2003-detroit-shock-season) | |
| Cheryl Ford | Detroit Shock | |
| Nikki Teasley | Los Angeles Sparks | |
| Deanna Nolan | Detroit Shock |
Players of the Week
| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 1 | Lisa Leslie | [Los Angeles Sparks](2003-los-angeles-sparks-season) |
| June 8 | Lauren Jackson | [Seattle Storm](2003-seattle-storm-season) |
| June 15 | Lisa Leslie (2) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| June 22 | Swin Cash | [Detroit Shock](2003-detroit-shock-season) |
| June 29 | Tamika Catchings | [Indiana Fever](2003-indiana-fever-season) |
| July 6 | Sheryl Swoopes | [Houston Comets](2003-houston-comets-season) |
| July 20 | Chamique Holdsclaw | [Washington Mystics](2003-washington-mystics-season) |
| July 27 | Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm |
| August 3 | Swin Cash (2) | Detroit Shock |
| August 10 | Lauren Jackson (2) | Seattle Storm |
| August 17 | DeLisha Milton | Los Angeles Sparks |
| August 25 | Anna DeForge | [Phoenix Mercury](2003-phoenix-mercury-season) |
Coaches
Eastern Conference
- Charlotte Sting: Trudi Lacey
- Cleveland Rockers: Dan Hughes
- Connecticut Sun: Mike Thibault
- Detroit Shock: Bill Laimbeer
- Indiana Fever: Nell Fortner
- New York Liberty: Richie Adubato
- Washington Mystics: Marianne Stanley
Western Conference
- Houston Comets: Van Chancellor
- Los Angeles Sparks: Michael Cooper
- Minnesota Lynx: Suzie McConnell Serio
- Phoenix Mercury: John Shumate
- Sacramento Monarchs: Maura McHugh and John Whisenant
- San Antonio Silver Stars: Candi Harvey and Shell Dailey
- Seattle Storm: Anne Donovan
References
References
- (April 25, 2003). "PLUS: W.N.B.A.; Dispersal Draft Scatters 2 Rosters". [[The New York Times]].
- (April 25, 2003). "Three Former Lady Techsters Selected in WNBA Dispersal Draft".
- (April 25, 2003). "Detroit adds Riley with top pick". [[ESPN]].
- "2003 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA".
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