2016 WNBA Finals
Los Angeles Sparks def. Minnesota Lynx, 3-2
2016 WNBA Finals result: Los Angeles Sparks def. Minnesota Lynx, 3-2.
Result
| Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | Los Angeles Sparks | 3-2 |
| Runner-up | Minnesota Lynx |
Finals MVP: Candace Parker
Decided by Nneka Ogwumike's game-winning shot with 3.1 seconds left in Game 5, in a rematch of the 2015 and 2017 Finals against Minnesota.
Games
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | October 9, 2016 | Los Angeles Sparks 78–76 Minnesota Lynx | Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Game 2 | October 11, 2016 | Minnesota Lynx 79–60 Los Angeles Sparks | Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Game 3 | October 14, 2016 | Los Angeles Sparks 92–75 Minnesota Lynx | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Game 4 | October 16, 2016 | Minnesota Lynx 85–79 Los Angeles Sparks | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Game 5 | October 20, 2016 | Los Angeles Sparks 77–76 Minnesota Lynx | Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Finals context
The 2016 Finals, an all-Western Conference matchup between the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks, produced one of the tensest and most controversial championship rounds in league history, ultimately decided by a buzzer-beater that the league itself later acknowledged should not have counted. Los Angeles stole home-court advantage with a Game 1 road win in Minnesota, 78-76, on a tie-breaking baseline jumper from Alana Beard at the buzzer, despite 13 rebounds from Sylvia Fowles and 6 assists from Lindsay Whalen for the Lynx. Minnesota answered emphatically in Game 2, routing Los Angeles 79-60 as Maya Moore's 21 points and 12 rebounds evened the series. The Sparks regained control in Game 3 at home, winning 92-75 as Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike combined for 45 points on 19-of-33 shooting, putting Los Angeles one win from its first title since 2002. Minnesota forced a decisive Game 5 by winning Game 4 on the road in Los Angeles, 85-79. Game 5, back in Minnesota, delivered a finish that would define the entire series: with the score level and 3.1 seconds remaining, Ogwumike grabbed an offensive rebound and immediately put it back in for the game-winning basket, giving Los Angeles a 77-76 win and the championship. Candace Parker, who finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the clincher, was named Finals MVP for her all-around excellence across all five games. The league's own subsequent review of the officiating in Games 4 and 5 found errors, including acknowledgment that a shot-clock violation should have negated Ogwumike's decisive put-back — but the result stood, leaving a permanent asterisk-shaped controversy attached to Los Angeles's fourth franchise title. For Parker, the 2008 first overall draft pick, this was her first championship after eight seasons that had established her as one of the league's most talented players without a title to match; the win validated a Sparks core built around Parker, Ogwumike, and a deep supporting cast under coach Brian Agler. For Minnesota, the defeat was a rare loss during the franchise's dynastic run of the 2010s, sandwiched between championships in 2015 and 2017, and it set up an immediate rematch: the two teams would meet again in the 2017 Finals, with Minnesota exacting revenge in another full five-game series. The officiating controversy from Games 4 and 5 became a lasting talking point in league discourse about replay review and shot-clock enforcement in the years that followed.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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