WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award


The Women's National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season.
During the first four years of the league's existence, the Houston Comets reigned. With each Comets championship, Cynthia Cooper was named Finals MVP. As the team's leading scorer, Cooper, along with Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoopes, led Houston to four consecutive WNBA championships.
In 2001, the Comets' dynasty ended by the hands of the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks won back-to-back, and dominant center Lisa Leslie was crowned as the Finals MVP both years.
As of the 2019, there have been two non-American Finals MVPs – Lauren Jackson of Australia and Emma Meesseman of Belgium.
From 2003 to the present, Diana Taurasi and Sylvia Fowles are the only players to win multiple Finals MVP awards. While some teams have won multiple championship since the dynasty years of the Comets and the Sparks, the match-up usually resulted in different MVPs. An example of this is the Detroit Shock. Despite winning three titles within a six-year span, three different players – Ruth Riley, Deanna Nolan, and Katie Smith – each won the award.

Winners

SeasonPlayerPositionNationalityTeam
1997Cynthia CooperGuardHouston Comets
1998Cynthia Cooper GuardHouston Comets
1999Cynthia Cooper GuardHouston Comets
2000Cynthia Cooper GuardHouston Comets
2001Lisa LeslieCenterLos Angeles Sparks
2002Lisa Leslie CenterLos Angeles Sparks
2003Ruth RileyForward / CenterDetroit Shock
2004Betty LennoxGuardSeattle Storm
2005Yolanda GriffithCenterSacramento Monarchs
2006Deanna NolanGuardDetroit Shock
2007Cappie PondexterGuardPhoenix Mercury
2008Katie SmithGuardDetroit Shock
2009Diana TaurasiGuardPhoenix Mercury
2010Lauren JacksonForward / CenterSeattle Storm
2011Seimone AugustusGuard / ForwardMinnesota Lynx
2012Tamika CatchingsForwardIndiana Fever
2013Maya MooreForwardMinnesota Lynx
2014Diana Taurasi GuardPhoenix Mercury
2015Sylvia FowlesCenterMinnesota Lynx
2016Candace ParkerForwardLos Angeles Sparks
2017Sylvia Fowles CenterMinnesota Lynx
2018Breanna StewartForward / CenterSeattle Storm
2019Emma MeessemanCenterWashington Mystics

Footnotes