2008 Detroit Shock season

The 2008 WNBA season was the 11th for the Detroit Shock, an American women's professional basketball team. The Shock returned to the WNBA Finals for the third consecutive year, winning their second WNBA Championship in three seasons, and their third in six years.
During the Finals, Katie Smith averaged a team high 21.7 points per game to be named WNBA Finals MVP. Similar to Kevin Garnett with the 2008 Boston Celtics, Taj McWilliams-Franklin won her first championship after 10 years in the league.

Offseason

The following player was lost in the Atlanta Dream expansion draft:

Katie Feenstra

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.

Free agents

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Plenette Pierson	February 28, 2008	re-signed
Cheryl Ford	March 10, 2008	re-signed
Deanna Nolan	March 10, 2008	re-signed
Katie Smith	March 10, 2008	re-signed
Elaine Powell	March 31, 2008	re-signed
Sheri Sam	May 7, 2008	Indiana Fever
Kelly Schumacher	July 26, 2008	Phoenix Mercury
Taj McWilliams-Franklin	August 12, 2008	Washington Mystics
Ashley Shields	August 19, 2008	Houston Comets

Season Highlights

The Shock season opener resulted in a record-breaking debut for rookie guard Alexis Hornbuckle. Hornbuckle set a Shock record with seven steals to help the Shock beat the Houston Comets on May 17. Deanna Nolan scored a franchise-record 44 points in a 98-93 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on June 20.

Malice at the Palace

The Sparks–Shock brawl was an altercation that occurred in a game between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks on July 22, 2008 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. With 4.2 seconds before the game was officially over, the fighting began on the court after Plenette Pierson made a hard block out after a free throw on Candace Parker. This was the second brawl to occur at the Palace, the other being the Pacers–Pistons brawl.

Nancy Lieberman

In July, the Detroit Shock signed Nancy Lieberman, 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. 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.

Awards and honors

Katie Smith, WNBA Player of the Week
Deanna Nolan, WNBA Player of the Week
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