2002 WNBA Finals
The 2002 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2002 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Los Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the New York Liberty, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Los Angeles' second title.
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| Dates | August 29 – 31 | |||||||||
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| MVP | Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Sparks: Lisa Leslie (2015) Liberty: Becky Hammon (2023) Teresa Weatherspoon (2019) | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals | New York defeated Washington, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Western Finals | Los Angeles defeated Utah, 2–0 | |||||||||
As of 2020, this is the last time a WNBA franchise has won back to back championships. Coincidentally 2 months before the finals, the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA would win their 14th title by sweeping a New York Metro team, the New Jersey Nets 4–0.
The Liberty made their fourth appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Sparks made their second straight Finals appearance.
The Sparks went into the series as defending champions. 2002 marked their second WNBA championship. (The Houston Comets hold the record with four championships won.)
The Sparks had a 25–7 record (.781), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (18–14).
Road to the finals
| Los Angeles Sparks | New York Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| 25–7 (.781) 1st West, 1st overall |
Regular season | 18–14 (.562) 1st East, 4th overall |
| Defeated the (4) Seattle Storm, 2–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (4) Indiana Fever, 2–1 |
| Defeated the (3) Utah Starzz, 2–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (3) Washington Mystics, 2–1 |
Regular season series
The teams had split the regular season series:
Game summaries
All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.
Game 1
August 29 7:30pm |
"Game 1". Archived from the original on November 26, 2002. Retrieved September 14, 2011. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) |
| Los Angeles Sparks 71, New York Liberty 63 | ||
| Scoring by half: 35–35, 36–28 | ||
| Pts: Mabika 20 Rebs: Byears 11 |
Pts: Hammon 18 Rebs: Weatherspoon 7 | |
Madison Square Garden, New York |
Game 2
August 31 3:30pm |
"Game 2". Archived from the original on November 26, 2002. Retrieved September 14, 2011. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) |
| New York Liberty 66, Los Angeles Sparks 69 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–31, 42–38 | ||
| Pts: Johnson, Whitmore 17 Rebs: Phillips 8 |
Pts: Leslie 17 Rebs: Byears 11 | |
STAPLES Center, Los Angeles |
Nikki Teasley hit a series-winning three pointer with 2.1 seconds left. Teresa Weatherspoon tried to repeat history by trying to make a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, but the shot was blocked, and the Sparks won their second consecutive title.
Awards
- 2002 WNBA Champion: Los Angeles Sparks
- Finals MVP: Lisa Leslie
Rosters
| 2002 Los Angeles Sparks Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2002 New York Liberty Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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