| 2001 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 28 - September 3, 2001 |
| Number of games | 32 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Total attendance | 2,322,962 |
| Average attendance | 9,074 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, NBC |
| 2001 WNBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick |
Lauren Jackson |
| Picked by | Seattle Storm |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP |
Lisa Leslie (
Los Angeles) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Charlotte Sting |
| Eastern runners-up | New York Liberty |
| Western champions | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Western runners-up | Sacramento Monarchs |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Runners-up | Charlotte Sting |
| Finals MVP |
Lisa Leslie (
Los Angeles) |
The 2001 WNBA Season was the Women's National Basketball Association's fifth season. The season ended with the Los Angeles Sparks winning their first WNBA championship.
Regular season standings
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Rockers x | 22 | 10 | .688 | 15–6 | – |
| New York Liberty x | 21 | 11 | .656 | 13–8 | 1.0 |
| Miami Sol x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 14–7 | 2.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 18 | 14 | .563 | 15–6 | 4.0 |
| Orlando Miracle o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9–12 | 9.0 |
| Indiana Fever o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 7–14 | 12.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 7–14 | 12.0 |
| Washington Mystics o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 4–17 | 12.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 28 | 4 | .875 | 19–2 | – |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 13–8 | 8.0 |
| Utah Starzz x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 11–10 | 9.0 |
| Houston Comets x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 13–8 | 9.0 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 8–13 | 15.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 12 | 20 | .375 | 9–12 | 16.0 |
| Portland Fire o | 11 | 21 | .344 | 5–16 | 17.0 |
| Seattle Storm o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 6–15 | 18.0 |
Season award winners
Playoffs
| First Round Best of 3 | Conference Finals Best of 3 | WNBA Finals Best of 3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Miami | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Charlotte | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Utah | 0 | ||||||||||||
Coaches
Eastern Conference
- Charlotte Sting: Anne Donovan
- Cleveland Rockers: Dan Hughes
- Detroit Shock: Greg Williams
- Indiana Fever: Nell Fortner
- Miami Sol: Ron Rothstein
- New York Liberty: Richie Adubato
- Orlando Miracle: Carolyn Peck
- Washington Mystics: Tom Maher
Western Conference
- Houston Comets: Van Chancellor
- Los Angeles Sparks: Michael Cooper
- Minnesota Lynx: Brian Agler
- Phoenix Mercury: Cynthia Cooper
- Portland Fire: Linda Hargrove
- Sacramento Monarchs: Maura McHugh
- Seattle Storm: Lin Dunn
- Utah Starzz: Fred Williams and Candi Harvey