2003 WNBA Finals
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| Dates | September 12 - September 16 | |||||||||
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| MVP | Ruth Riley (Detroit Shock) | |||||||||
| Television | ESPN2 | |||||||||
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| Eastern Finals | Detroit defeated Connecticut, 2–0 | |||||||||
| Western Finals | Los Angeles defeated Sacramento, 2–1 | |||||||||
| Game 1: | Courteau, Mattingly, Trammell |
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| Game 2: | Bell, Boland, Gulbeyan |
| Game 3: | Corteau, Price, Mattingly |
The 2003 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2003 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, two games to one in a best-of-three series. This was Detroit's first title.
The Shock made their first appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Sparks made their third straight Finals appearance.
Going into the series, the Sparks had won two WNBA championships (2001, 2002). The Houston Comets hold the record with four championships won.
The Shock had a 25-9 record (.735), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Sparks (24-10).
The Shock won the regular season series:
All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.
Lisa Leslie collected 23 points and 12 rebounds as the two-time defending champion Sparks used a huge first half for a 75-63 victory over the Detroit Shock in Game One of the WNBA Finals.
Detroit entered with the Coach of the Year in Bill Laimbeer, who has put his stamp on a physical frontcourt that features Swin Cash, rookie Cheryl Ford and Ruth Riley. But Leslie and Delisha Milton led a defensive effort that bottled up the Shock's vaunted trio and opened up a 42-21 cushion at halftime.
Leslie scored 12 points in a 25-4 tear that broke open the game for the Sparks. Her basket with just under three minutes remaining before halftime gave Los Angeles a 38-16 cushion.
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