The

2008 WNBA season The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the first WNBA season with a franchise in Atlanta as the Dream were announced in late 2007. No WNBA All-Star Game was held due to the 2008 Summer Oly ...

was the 11th for the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...

, an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

women's professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team. The Shock returned to the

WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the win ...

for the third consecutive year, winning their second WNBA Championship in three seasons, and their third in six years. During the Finals,

Katie Smith Katie Smith (born June 4, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team. She is the former head coach of the New York Liberty. A retired professional baske ...

averaged a team high 21.7 points per game to be named WNBA Finals MVP. Similar to Kevin Garnett with the 2008

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Taj McWilliams-Franklin Taj McWilliams-Franklin (born October 20, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. A two-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock and Minnesota Lynx and six-time all-star, McWilliams-Franklin's professional career has spanned ...

won her first championship after 10 years in the league.

Offseason

The following player was lost in the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the ...

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...

: *

Katie Feenstra Katharen Ruth Mattera ( Feenstra; born November 17, 1982) is an American college basketball coach and former player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Mattera is one of the tallest players in WNBA history. At 6 feet 7.5 inch ...

WNBA draft

Transactions

*September 4: The Shock signed Ashley Shields. *August 19: The Shock signed Ashley Shields to a seven-day contract. *August 12: The Shock traded Tasha Humphrey, Eshaya Murphy and a second-round pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics for Taj McWilliams-Franklin. *August 8: The Shock waived Stacey Lovelace. *July 26: The Shock signed Kelly Schumacher. *July 25: The Shock waived Nancy Lieberman. *July 24: The Shock signed Nancy Lieberman to a seven-day contract. *July 11: The Shock signed Stacey Lovelace. *June 27: The Shock waived Chrissy Givens. *June 22: The Shock traded LaToya Thomas to the Minnesota Lynx for Eshaya Murphy. *June 18: The Shock waived Wanisha Smith and signed Chrissy Givens. *May 15: The Shock waived Michelle Campbell and Wanisha Smith. *May 8: The Shock signed Wanisha Smith to a training camp contract. *May 7: The Shock signed free agent Sheri Sam. *May 5: The Shock waived Valeriya Berezhynska, Natasha Lacy and Tyresa Smith. *April 26: The Shock waived Chakhia Cole, Fantasia Goodwin and Samantha Mahoney. *April 18: The Shock waived Nina Norman. *April 17: The Shock signed Samantha Mahoney to a training camp contract. *April 16: The Shock signed Chakhia Cole to a training camp contract. *March 31: The Shock signed Elaine Powell to a training camp contract. *March 10: The Shock re-signed free agents Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith. *March 4: The Shock signed Tyresa Smith and Michelle Campbell to training camp contracts. *February 29: The Shock signed Nina Norman to a training camp contract. *February 28: The Shock re-signed free agent Plenette Pierson and signed Chrissy Givens to a training camp contract. *February 19: The Shock traded Swin Cash to the Seattle Storm in exchange for the 4th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. *February 6: The Shock traded Ivory Latta to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for LaToya Thomas and the 18th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Season Highlights

The Shock season opener resulted in a record-breaking debut for rookie guard

Alexis Hornbuckle Alexis Kay'ree Hornbuckle (born October 16, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played several seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association. She is the only player to win an NCAA title and WNBA title in the s ...

. Hornbuckle set a Shock record with seven steals to help the Shock beat the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

on May 17.

Deanna Nolan Deanna Nicole "Tweety" Nolan (; born August 25, 1979) is a retired American-Russian professional basketball player for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian Premier League as well as the Russia women's national basketball team. Her primary position ...

scored a franchise-record 44 points (28 in the fourth quarter and overtime) in a 98-93 victory over the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...

on June 20.

Malice at the Palace

*The Sparks–Shock brawl (also known as The Malice at the Palace II) was an altercation that occurred in a game between the

and

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

on July 22, 2008 at

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

. With 4.2 seconds before the game was officially over, the fighting began on the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

after Plenette Pierson made a hard block out after a

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986), nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA dr ...

. This was the second brawl to occur at the Palace, the other being the

Pacers–Pistons brawl The "Malice at the Palace" (also known as the Pacers–Pistons brawl) was a fight involving players and fans that occurred during a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Indiana Pacers and the defending champion Detroit Pisto ...

Nancy Lieberman

In July, the Detroit Shock signed

Nancy Lieberman Nancy Ilizabeth Lieberman (born July 1, 1958), nicknamed "Lady Magic", is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who is currently a broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thun ...

, the franchise's first head coach and general manager, to a 7-day contract. The 50-year-old Lieberman broke her own record for being the oldest player in the WNBA. Lieberman, a Hall of Famer since 1999, was 39 years old when she played with Phoenix during the league's first year in 1997. The 50-year-old Lieberman played nine minutes and had two assists.Lieberman's Shows Flash of Past in Shock Loss
/ref> One of the assists included a no-look pass in the closing minutes of the Detroit Shock's 79-61 loss to the Houston Comets on July 24. Lieberman made an appearance in the Shock's first game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 22 due to the bench-clearing brawl. Five Shock players were suspended and Cheryl Ford suffered a season-ending injury, prompting coach Bill Laimbeer to offer Lieberman the seven-day contract.

Roster

Season standings

Schedule

Regular season

, - bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 1 , May 17 ,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

85-66
,

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

(21) ,

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

(11) ,

(4) ,

Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

13,824 , 1-0 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 2 , May 18 , @

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

70-84
,

(17) ,

(9) , Nolan (6) ,

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...

9,972 , 1-1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 3 , May 21 ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

76-71
, Braxton (22) ,

(10) , Nolan (8) ,

6,842 , 2-1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 4 , May 23 , @

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

88-76
, Nolan (33) ,

(13) , Nolan (8) ,

Philips Arena State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...

11,609 , 3-1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 5 , May 25 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

72-62
, Pierson (25) , Braxton, Powell (7) , Nolan (7) ,

8,068 , 4-1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 6 , May 31 , @

74-65
,

(19) ,

(8) , Nolan, Powell (3) ,

Conseco Fieldhouse CNO Financial Group, Inc. (formerly Conseco, Inc. (from Consolidated National Security Corporation)) is an American financial services holding company based in Carmel, Indiana. Its insurance subsidiaries provide life insurance, annuity and supp ...

9,219 , 5-1 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 7 , June 4 ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

77-67
,

(33) ,

(11) , Nolan (8) ,

8,108 , 6-1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 8 , June 6 , @

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

84-70
,

(30) , Braxton,

, Nolan (6) , Nolan (9) ,

ARCO Arena ARCO Arena (known as Power Balance Pavilion from 2011 to 2012 and Sleep Train Arena from 2012 until 2022) was an indoor arena located in Sacramento, California, United States. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Sacramento Kings of the Nation ...

6,663 , 7-1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 9 , June 7 , @

67-75
,

(18) , Pierson (10) , Hornbuckle, Pierson (3) ,

KeyArena Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of downtown Seattle in the entertainment complex known as the Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it wa ...

7,105 , 7-2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 10 , June 11 , @

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

73-80
,

(16) , Pierson,

(7) ,

(4) ,

STAPLES Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

8,520 , 7-3 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 11 , June 14 , @ Phoenix
89-79
,

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of Pr ...

(28) , Hornbuckle (15) , Nolan (8) ,

US Airways Center The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

7,696 , 8-3 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 12 , June 20 ,

98-93 (OT)
, Nolan (44) ,

(14) , Pierson (4) ,

8,916 , 9-3 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 13 , June 22 , @

97-76
,

(20) ,

(12) , Nolan (7) ,

7,865 , 10-3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 14 , June 24 , @

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

68-85
, Nolan (17) ,

(11) ,

(4) ,

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in the Uncasville, Connecticut, Uncasville area of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurab ...

7,501 , 10-4 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 15 , June 26 ,

70-61
, Nolan (13) ,

(9) ,

(4) ,

8,636 , 11-4 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 16 , June 28 , @

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

59-76
,

Murphy Murphy is an Irish surname meaning "Sea Warrior". Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac Murchaidh"/" Mac Murchadh" (son of "Murchadh") derived ...

(13) ,

(8) , Hornbuckle, Sam (4) ,

UIC Pavilion Credit Union 1 Arena (previously known as UIC Pavilion) is a multi-purpose arena located at 525 S. Racine Avenue on the Near West Side in Chicago, Illinois. It opened in 1982. Description and history Credit Union 1 Arena is located on the campu ...

3,407 , 11-5 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 17 , June 29 ,

100-92
, Braxton (26) , Braxton (9) , Nolan (11) ,

8,798 , 12-5 , - , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 18 , July 1 , @

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

72-79 (OT)
,

(17) ,

, Sam (8) ,

(9) ,

AT&T Center Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center and SBC Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The arena seat ...

5,656 , 12-6 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 19 , July 8 ,

88-82
, Pierson (23) , Braxton (8) , Nolan (8) ,

7,623 , 13-6 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 20 , July 11 ,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

79-66
,

(23) , Braxton,

(7) , Nolan (4) ,

8,596 , 14-6 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 21 , July 12 , @

64-74
,

, Pierson (13) ,

(12) , Nolan (4) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

8,661 , 14-7 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 22 , July 16 ,

66-63
,

(14) , Pierson (8) , Nolan,

(4) ,

15,210 , 15-7 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 23 , July 18 , @

99-62
, Nolan (26) , Braxton, Hornbuckle (6) , Sam (8) , Verizon Center
6,834 , 16-7 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 24 , July 20 ,

85-88
, Nolan (27) ,

(10) ,

(6) ,

9,138 , 16-8 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 25 , July 22 ,

81-84
,

(20) ,

(9) , Hornbuckle,

(5) ,

12,930 , 16-9 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 26 , July 24 , @

61-79
, Nolan (23) , Nolan, Sam (9) , Nolan (4) ,

Reliant Arena The NRG Arena (formerly the Astroarena and Reliant Arena), is a sports center in NRG Park, in Houston, Texas, USA. Building format The main partition on the first floor is the "Arena Proper", a 24,000 gross square foot arena that seats up to 8, ...

7,261 , 16-10 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 27 , July 27 ,

64-76
, Nolan (25) , Braxton (9) ,

(6) ,

9,537 , 16-11 , - , - , colspan="10" align="center" valign="middle" , ''

Summer Olympic The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

break'' , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 28 , August 29 ,

83-69
, Nolan (26) , Braxton, McWilliams-Franklin (7) ,

(6) ,

11,516 , 17-11 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 29 , August 31 , @

81-82 (OT)
,

(23) , McWilliams-Franklin (11) , Nolan (6) ,

4,197 , 17-12 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 30 , September 5 ,

90-68
, Pierson (20) , Pierson (6) , McWilliams-Franklin, Pierson (4) ,

9,287 , 18-12 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 31 , September 6 , @

84-69
, McWilliams-Franklin (21) , Nolan (10) ,

(8) , Verizon Center
9,976 , 19-12 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 32 , September 9 , Phoenix
89-78
, Nolan (18) , Braxton, Hornbuckle, McWilliams-Franklin (8) , Pierson,

(5) ,

7,495 , 20-12 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 33 , September 11 ,

78-66
, Nolan (17) , McWilliams-Franklin (8) ,

(6) ,

8,145 , 21-12 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 34 , September 14 , @

61-59
, Nolan, Pierson (11) , Hornbuckle, Nolan (7) , Powell (4) ,

10,042 , 22-12 , -

Postseason

, - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 1 , September 19 , @

81-72
, Nolan (22) , Braxton, McWilliams-Franklin (7) , Powell,

(3) ,

7,613 , 1-0 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 2 , September 21 ,

82-89
, Nolan, Pierson (16) , Pierson, Powell (7) , Pierson (5) ,

8,219 , 1-1 , -bgcolor="bbffbb" , 3 , September 23 ,

80-61
, Nolan (21) , Hornbuckle (8) , Hornbuckle, McWilliams-Franklin (4) ,

8,296 , 2-1 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 1 , September 26 , @

56-60
, Nolan (22) , Hornbuckle, McWilliams-Franklin (7) , 4 players (2) ,

14,711 , 1-0 , -bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 2 , September 28 ,

64-55
, Nolan (22) ,

(11) , 4 players (2) , EMU Convocation Center
7,965 , 1-1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 3 , September 29 ,

75-73
, Nolan (21) ,

(8) , Nolan,

(3) , EMU Convocation Center
7,429 , 2-1 , - , -bgcolor="bbffbb" , 1 , October 1 , @

77-69
,

(25) ,

(9) , Nolan (4) ,

9,380 , 1-0 , -bgcolor="bbffbb" , 2 , October 3 , @

69-61
,

(22) , Nolan (7) ,

(6) ,

16,012 , 2-0 , -bgcolor="bbffbb" , 3 , October 5 ,

76-60
,

(18) , Braxton, Hornbuckle (9) , Hornbuckle, Nolan (5) , EMU Convocation Center
8,952 , 3-0 , -

Player stats

Regular season

Detroit Shock Regular Season Stats

Postseason

Awards and honors

* Katie Smith, WNBA Player of the Week (June 2–8) * Deanna Nolan, WNBA Player of the Week (June 16–22 and July 14–20) * Deanna Nolan, All-WNBA Defensive Second Team * Katie Smith, All-WNBA Defensive Second Team * Deanna Nolan, All-WNBA Second Team * Katie Smith, WNBA Finals MVP

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008 Detroit Shock Season Detroit Shock seasons

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Eastern Conference (WNBA) championship seasons Women's National Basketball Association championship seasons