2016 Minnesota Lynx season
The 2016 Minnesota Lynx season was the 18th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the 7th season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.
The Lynx were the defending WNBA champions. Their 2016 roster included five competitors in the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as seven current or previous all-stars with 22 total past selections to the all-star game between them.
The Lynx started the season well, winning all six of their games in August. The closest game of the run was a three-point home win over Indiana on May 27. The Lynx carried their momentum into June and won their first seven games of the month to extend their winning streak to thirteen games. [2016 2016 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles] ended their winning streak on June 24 despite the Lynx having beaten Los Angeles three nights before. The Lynx lost the next two games, including an overtime game against New York to end June 7–3. The team won the first two games of July before losing to [2016 2016 Connecticut Sun season|Connecticut Sun season|Connecticut] by four-points on July 7. The Lynx then won their next six games in a row to finish July 8–1 and head into the Olympic break with an overall record of 21–4. They lost again by four points to Connecticut upon their return from the Olympic break, but re-gained their winning ways with a twelve-point win over Seattle. They extended their winning streak to five games before losing at Chicago in overtime. They won their last two games of the season to finish 28–6.
The Lynx' record of 28–6 earned them the first seed in the 2016 WNBA Playoffs. As the first seed, they received a bye to the semifinals where they matched-up against Phoenix. Minnesota won the first two games at home eighteen points and ten points. They dominated game three on the road, winning by fifteen points to win the series 3-0. Minnesota advanced to the WNBA Finals where they matched-up with Los Angeles. The Lynx were unable to win game one at home, losing by just two points. They rebounded with a nineteen point win in game two and evened the series as it moved to Los Angeles. The Lynx lost game three by seventeen points, but staved off elimination in game four, winning by six points. The deciding game five was in Minnesota, but home court advantage was not enough for the Lynx to repeat as champions. The Lynx lost the game by one-point on a last second shot.
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WNBA draft
The Lynx made three selections in the 2016 WNBA Entry Draft in Uncasville, Connecticut:| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | School/Team/Country |
| 2 | 14 | Jazmon Gwathmey | Minnesota Lynx | James Madison | |
| 2 | 22 | Bashaara Graves | Minnesota Lynx | Tennessee | |
| 3 | 35 | Temi Fagbenle | Minnesota Lynx | USC |