A’ja Wilson Named To 2021 All-WNBA Second Team

NEW YORK (Oct. 15, 2021)—The WNBA announced today that Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson was named to the 2021 All-WNBA Second Team. It is the second All-WNBA honor for the 2020 league MVP.

Wilson led the Aces to the second best record in the WNBA at 24-8 and the number two seed in the playoffs. She ranked sixth in the league in scoring (18.6), eighth in rebounding (9.3), 21st in assists (3.1), 11th in blocked shots (1.25), and 10th in free throw percentage (.876).

Voting for the All-WNBA First and Second Teams was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season.  Players were selected by position and received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team vote. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.

The 2021 All-WNBA First Team consists of Connecticut forward Jonquel Jones (245 points), Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (212) and center Brittney Griner (197), and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (197) and guard Jewell Loyd (150). 

This is the sixth All-WNBA selection for Griner, the fifth for Diggins-Smith and the fourth for Stewart, with each player named to the First Team for the third time.  For Loyd, this is her first selection to the All-WNBA First Team and her second All-WNBA honor overall.

Joining Wilson (177 points) on the 2021 All-WNBA Second Team are Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles (148), Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (134), Washington Mystics forward Tina Charles (118) and Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (111).

Charles is an All-WNBA Team choice for the ninth time and Fowles for the seventh time. Vandersloot is an All-WNBA honoree for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time overall. Ogunbowale is a two-time All-WNBA honoree.

2021 All-WNBA First Team

Jonquel Jones, Sun: In her fifth WNBA season, Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.26 blocked shots and 1.26 steals.  The 6-6 forward led the WNBA in rebounding and ranked fourth in scoring and 10 th in blocks. Behind Jones, the Sun posted the highest winning percentage in franchise history (.813), the WNBA’s best record (26-6) and a 14-game winning streak to finish the regular season.

Skylar Diggins-Smith, Mercury: The 5-9 Diggins-Smith averaged 17.7 points (ninth in the WNBA) and 5.3 assists (sixth).  She also became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 3,000 points, 1,000 assists and 200 steals in a career.

Brittney Griner, Mercury: The 6-9 Griner was the runner-up in MVP voting for the second time after averaging 20.5 points (second in the WNBA) and a career-best 9.5 rebounds (sixth). She led the WNBA in blocks (1.93 bpg) for the eighth time in her nine seasons.  Griner also ranked second in the league in field goal percentage (57.5).

Breanna Stewart, Storm: The 2018 WNBA MVP finished third behind Jones and Griner in MVP voting. The 6-4 Stewart averaged 20.3 points (third in the WNBA), 9.5 rebounds (fifth), 2.7 assists and 1.75 blocks (fifth). She also became the fastest player in league history to record 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

Jewell Loyd, Storm: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft averaged 17.9 points (seventh in the WNBA), 3.8 assists (12 th) and 1.48 steals (seventh).  On Sept. 17 against Phoenix, Loyd scored a career-high 37 points—the most points by a player in a game this season—and tied a league record with 22 points in a quarter.

2021 All-WNBA Second Team

A’ja Wilson, Aces: One year after winning the WNBA MVP award, Wilson averaged 18.3 points (sixth in the league) and posted career-best averages of 9.3 rebounds (eighth) and 3.1 assists. Behind Wilson, Las Vegas finished the regular season with the second-best record (24-8).

Sylvia Fowles, Lynx: In her 14^th WNBA season, Fowles averaged 16.0 points (14th in the WNBA) and 10.1 rebounds (second) and shot a league-high 64.0 percent from the field. Named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time, the 6-6 Fowles ranked second in the league in both steals (1.81 spg) and blocks (1.81 bpg).

Arike Ogunbowale, Wings: A third-year WNBA player, Ogunbowale ranked fifth in the league in points per game (18.7 ppg) after winning the scoring title last season. The 5-8 guard posted 17 games with at least 20 points, second only to league scoring leader Tina Charles (19).

Tina Charles, Mystics: Charles led the WNBA in scoring with a career-high 23.4 points, the sixth-best average in league history.  Returning for her 11th WNBA season after not playing in 2020, the 6-4 Charles also averaged 9.6 rebounds (fourth in the league).

Courtney Vandersloot, Sky: The 5-8 Vandersloot led the WNBA in assists (8.6 apg) for the fifth consecutive season and sixth time overall.  During the season, she moved into fourth place on the league’s career list for total assists (2,180). She also averaged a career-high 1.69 steals (third in the WNBA).

In honor of their accomplishments, each member of the All-WNBA First Team will receive $10,300 and each member of the Second Team will receive $5,150.

Below are the voting results for the 2021 All-WNBA Team.

2021 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM

 
2021 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM