The 1998 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's second season. The 1998 season saw two expansion teams join the league, the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics with an expansion draft being held on February 18, 1998.[1][2] The expansion teams allowed the defending champions, Houston Comets, to move to the Western Conference. The regular season was extended from 28 games to 30 games. During the season, Kelly Boucher became the first Canadian to play in the league, suiting up for the Charlotte Sting.[3] The season ended with the Comets winning their second WNBA championship.
Regular season
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Rockers x | 20 | 10 | .667 | 12–4 | – |
| Charlotte Sting x | 18 | 12 | .600 | 11–5 | 2.0 |
| New York Liberty o | 18 | 12 | .600 | 8–8 | 2.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 17 | 13 | .567 | 8–8 | 3.0 |
| Washington Mystics o | 3 | 27 | .100 | 1–15 | 17.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 27 | 3 | .900 | 15–1 | – |
| Phoenix Mercury x | 19 | 11 | .633 | 10–6 | 8.0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks o | 12 | 18 | .400 | 6–10 | 15.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs o | 8 | 22 | .267 | 5–11 | 19.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 8 | 22 | .267 | 4–12 | 19.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Playoffs
For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was switched to the Western Conference so two Western Conference teams matched up in the WNBA Finals.
| Semifinals Best-of-3 | WNBA Championship Best-of-3 | ||||||||
| 1 | Houston | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Charlotte | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Houston | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 2 | |||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
Awards
Reference:[4]
Individual
| Award | Winner | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | |
| Finals MVP | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Suzie McConnell Serio | Cleveland Rockers | |
| Shooting Champions | Field goal percentage | Isabelle Fijalkowski | Cleveland Rockers |
| Free throw percentage | Sandy Brondello | Detroit Shock | |
| Rookie of the Year | Tracy Reid | Charlotte Sting | |
| Sportsmanship Award | Suzie McConnell Serio | Cleveland Rockers | |
| Coach of the Year | Van Chancellor | Houston Comets | |
Team
| Award | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-WNBA | First Team | Tina Thompson | Houston Comets |
| Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | ||
| Jennifer Gillom | Phoenix Mercury | ||
| Suzie McConnell-Serio | Cleveland Rockers | ||
| Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | ||
| Second Team | Eva Nemcova | Cleveland Rockers | |
| Cindy Brown | Detroit Shock | ||
| Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty | ||
| Andrea Stinson | Charlotte Sting | ||
Players of the Week
| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 21 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks |
| June 28 | Andrea Stinson | Charlotte Sting |
| July 5 | Cindy Brown | Detroit Shock |
| July 12 | Jennifer Gillom | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 19 | Tracy Reid | Charlotte Sting |
| July 27 | Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty |
| August 2 | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets |
| August 10 | Cynthia Cooper (2) | Houston Comets |
| August 17 | Suzie McConnell-Serio | Cleveland Rockers |
Coaches
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
References
- ↑ "1998 WNBA Expansion Draft". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ↑ "W.N.B.A.: EXPANSION DRAFT; Liberty Loses Blades To New Detroit Team". The New York Times. February 19, 1998. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ↑ Lindsay Dunn (May 14, 2021). "Meet Kelly Boucher, the Canadian who broke the WNBA barrier". CityNews. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ↑ "1998 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.