October 15, 2021
Seattle and Phoenix dominate All-WNBA First Team
This year's All-WNBA First Team is headlined by league MVP and Seattle and Phoenix stars
This Friday, the WNBA announced its 2021 All-WNBA First and Second Teams were announced.
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Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and center Brittney Griner and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart and guard Jewell Loyd make up the first team.
The first team is dominated by Phoenix and Seattle players and made up almost entirely of members of this year’s Team USA Olympics squad. Jones, the only non-Olympic player, was named 2021 league MVP, averaging 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
Griner, the only other player to receive an MVP vote, averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Her teammate Diggins-Smith averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 assists per game.
The reigning champs in Seattle endured a heartbreaking end to their season in a single-elimination game to Phoenix with Stewart on the bench recovering from a heel injury.
But their playoffs loss didn’t stop Stewart and Loyd from incredible regular seasons. Stewart averaged 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and Loyd averaged 17.9 points and 3.8 assists.
The second team includes Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, Washington Mystics center Tina Charles and Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot.
Fowles was also awarded 2021 Defensive Player of the Year for her fourth time and Ogunbowale was named MVP of this year’s All-Star Game in July.
Fowles averaged 16.0 points and 10.1 rebounds and shot a league-high of 64% from the field. Ogunbowale averaged 18.7 points per game after being named the scoring champion in 2020.
2020 MVP Wilson averaged 18.3 points and a career-best average of 9.3 rebounds per game. Charles led the league in scoring at 23.4 points per game, making her the sixth-best average in league history. She also averaged 9.6 rebounds.
Vandersloot, who has been a site to watch throughout the playoffs, led the WNBA in assists with 8.6 a game. This is her sixth season leading the league in assists.
Each member of the First Team will receive $10,300 and Second Team members will receive $5,150.
Tonight, Mercury and Sky All-WNBA members will face off in Game 3 of the Finals.
Written by Gabriella Lewis
Gabriella is The Next's Atlanta Dream and SEC beat reporter. She is a Bay Area native currently studying at Emory University.
