The league released a statement Friday revealing it is actively pursuing investors in that region, since Maloof Sports and Entertainment -- which also owns and operates the NBA's Sacramento Kings -- will no longer operate the Monarchs.

"The Bay Area has been a desirable market for the WNBA and the availability of the Monarchs provides an opportunity to move a well-known franchise and broaden its fan base within northern California," said league president Donna Orender.

Despite Sacramento having the worst record (12-22) last season, Minnesota (14-20) had the best chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick as a result of having the rights to New York's (13-21) first-round pick due to a thre-team deal that also invovled Los Angeles.

The Lynx had 428 chances out of 1,000 to win the lottery, compared to 420 for league-worst Sacramento.

Despite Sacramento having the worst record (12-22) last season, Minnesota (14-20) had the best chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick as a result of having the rights to New York's (13-21) first-round pick due to a thre-team deal that also invovled Los Angeles.

The Lynx had 428 chances out of 1,000 to win the lottery, compared to 420 for league-worst Sacramento.

The move is pending approval from the WNBA Board of Governors. The team will be owned by Dream Too, LLC, an investment group led by Betty.

"I am confident Kathy's passion for the game and the Atlanta community, as well as her vision for the Dream, will ensure that the team continues to build on its strong start," said Orender.

WNBA President Donna Orender announced Tuesday the team will be owned by a group of investors led by Oklahoma businessmen Bill Cameron and David Box. The transfer of ownership and move are pending an approval by the WNBA Board of Governors.

It was also announced that Nolan Richardson, former men's basketball coach at Arkansas and Tulsa, will become the team's head coach.

The Detroit Free Press on Monday quoted a league official who said the move is already in motion and that the Shock players have already been notified of the relocation.

According to the paper, a group of investors located in Tulsa revealed they formally applied to the WNBA to purchase a team. Nolan Richardson, former men's basketball coach at Arkansas, is involved with the effort and is rumored to become the new club's head coach.

The procedure was done in order to prevent future retinal detachment in the eye, which suffered trauma when Pondexter collided with a member of the Indiana Fever during Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

A Chicago native, Pondexter led all scorers with 20.8 points and led Phoenix with 5.0 assists per contest as the Mercury won their second league title.

Taurasi was named the Finals MVP, as she averaged 20.4 points in the championship series.

The Mercury won the final two games to overcome a 2-1 hole and take their second title in three years. Phoenix defeated Detroit in the 2007 Finals, three games to two.

Penny Taylor scored 17 points off the bench for the Mercury, who had lost two straight games after taking Game 1 in OT. Tangela Smith and league MVP Diana Taurasi chipped in 16 points apiece. Temeka Johnson added 10 points and five assists for Phoenix, which will host Game 5 on Friday at 9 p.m. (et).

Tamika Catchings finished with game-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Fever, who are seeking their first championship. Ebony Hoffman ended with 17 points and eight rebounds. Tammy Sutton-Brown added 12 points in defeat.

Ebony Hoffman had 18 points, Briann January added 17 points and Katie Douglas added 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Fever, who hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Cappie Pondexter had 23 points and eight assists, Diana Taurasi added 18 points and seven rebounds while Le'coe Willingham added 17 points and five boards for the Mercury, who have dropped the last two games after winning the first in overtime.

Ebony Hoffman and Briann January each added 16 points for the Fever, who are looking for their first WNBA title and will host the next two games in the five-game series.

Tammy Sutton-Brown and Katie Douglas each contributed 14 points, as six Indiana players scored in double figures.

During their inaugural 2008 season, the Dream posted four wins, the second- lowest total in the league history. One year later, Meadors guided Atlanta to an 18-16 record and a playoff berth. The 2003 Detroit Shock posted the largest one-season turnaround with a 16-win improvement.

Under the direction of Meadors, the Dream ranked second in the league in scoring (84.1 ppg) and first in rebounding (37.0 rpg).

The top overall pick in the 2009 draft, McCoughtry posted game averages of 12.8 points and 2.2 steals in 34 contests to top all first-year players. She also ranked fifth in assists with 2.1 per game.

McCoughtry received 30 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, while Phoenix's DeWanna Bonner garnered nine votes to finish second. Shavonte Zellous of the Detroit Shock was third with two votes.

The 236 total points are the most ever in a WNBA game -- regular season or playoffs.

The two teams shattered the previous WNBA Finals scoring record by 28 points, accomplished by the Mercury and Shock two years ago, when Phoenix won its only championship.

Taurasi received 323 total points and 27 first-place votes in winning her first career MVP award. Indiana's Tamika Catchings was second in the voting with 163 points and three first-place votes, while Indiana's Katie Douglas (five first-place votes), Phoenix's Cappie Pondexter (one first-place vote) and San Antonio's Becky Hammon rounded out the top five.

In her sixth season in the league, Taurasi averaged a league-high 20.4 points along with 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 31 games. The guard-forward also shot a career-high 46.1 percent from the field and led the league in three- pointers made (79). She became the fastest player to 4,000 career points on September 5, reaching that mark in 197 games to break Lauren Jackson's record (209).

Lecoe Willingham posted 17 points and six rebounds for Phoenix, which captured the league championship in 2007. Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor had 12 points apiece in the win.

The Mercury will take on Indiana in the best-of-five Finals beginning on Tuesday in Phoenix. The Fever will make their first ever appearance in the Finals after defeating Detroit 72-67 on Saturday.

Tammy Sutton-Brown totaled a team-high 17 points, Katie Douglas notched 14, and Tamika Catchings and Ebony Hoffman each chipped in 10 for Indiana, which advanced to the Finals for the first time in franchise history after back-to- back wins at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Fever will face the winner of the Los Angeles-Phoenix series in the Finals.

Lisa Leslie, facing not only elimination but the possibility of it being her final game in the WNBA, scored 20 points, brought down six boards and added three assists.

Betty Lennox contributed 17 points while DeLisha Milton-Jones and Tina Thompson each had 11 points for the Sparks, who lost Game 1 by a 103-94 margin on Wednesday.

Catchings added five assists and six steals, while Katie Douglas had 14 points for the Fever, who recorded a WNBA playoff record 18 steals in the game. Ebony Hoffman had 13 points, and Briann January contributed 12 points off the bench.

Deanna Nolan scored a game-high 23 points for the Shock, who are looking to defend their 2008 WNBA title. Shavonte Zellous added 19 points off the bench in defeat.

Catchings was nearly a unanimous selection, receiving 34 of the 40 first-place votes to win the award for the third time in her career (2005 and 2006). She joins Sheryl Swoopes as the only three-time winners of this award.

Los Angeles' Candace Parker and Atlanta's Erika de Souza both garnered two votes, while Washington's Alana Beard and Seattle's Lauren Jackson each received one vote from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry, Detroit's Shavonte Zellous, Phoenix's DeWanna Bonner, Minnesota's Renee Montgomery and Washington's Marissa Coleman were selected as the top first-year players of the 2009 season.

McCoughtry, the top overall pick of the 2009 draft, averaged 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.1 assists in 34 games this year for the Dream. Zellous appeared in all 34 games for the Shock, averaging 11.9 points and 3.1 rebounds.

LA was forced out of its home arena due to a Britney Spears concert. The best- of-three series now shifts to Phoenix for Game 2 on Friday.

Penny Taylor added 18 points off the bench for the Mercury, who beat San Antonio, 2-1, in the semifinals.

Zellous went 10-of-11 from the free throw line for the Shock, who defeated Atlanta, 2-0, in the first round of the playoffs. Deanna Nolan added 22 points, while Kara Braxton contributed 10 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Katie Douglas scored 16 points to lead Indiana, which swept Washington in the first round after going a conference-best 22-12 in the regular season. Tammy Sutton-Brown added 14 points in defeat.

Taurasi, who led all vote-getters with 201 points, paced the league in scoring (20.4 ppg) while guiding Phoenix to the best record in the Western Conference along with teammate Cappie Pondexter, who garnered the first All-WNBA honor of her career.

Seattle Storm center Lauren Jackson, Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings and San Antonio Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon also made the First Team. Jackson has been awarded the distinction six times, with Catchings making it for the fourth time and Hammon twice.

Taurasi shot 11-of-17 from the field and added six assists and five rebounds for Phoenix, which is aiming for its second WNBA title in three years.

Cappie Pondexter tallied 17 points, and Tangela Smith scored 16 to go with eight rebounds for the Mercury, who will face the Los Angeles Sparks in the next round.