Per Team Release:
Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart and guard Jewell Loyd have both been named to the 2021 All-WNBA First Team the league announced today. It marks the fourth time in five WNBA seasons Stewart has earned all-league honors and third time receiving First-Team recognition while Loyd picks up the honor for the second time and the first as a member of the First Team.
Stewart once again posted impressive numbers during the 2021 season, averaging 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. A two-time WNBA Champion and the 2018 WNBA MVP, Stewart is averaging 20.0 ppg, 8.9 rpg, and 1.6 bpg through five seasons in the league. She finished the 2021 campaign with 2,982 career points, needing 18 points in her next game to become the second-fastest WNBA player to reach the 3,000-point plateau.
Loyd finished the 2021 season averaging 17.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, and 1.5 spg—all career-highs. She ended the regular season on a strong note, scoring a career-high 37 points in the finale against Phoenix on Sept. 17. Her 37 points in that game were the most in the WNBA in 2021 and her 22 first-quarter points tied the WNBA record for points in a quarter. Loyd scored 20+ points 12 times during the season including scoring 23 against Washington on June 22 to push her past 3,000 for her career.
Other members of the All-WNBA First Team include Connecticut center Jonquel Jones (CON), and Phoenix guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and center Brittney Griner. The 2021 All-WNBA Second Team consists of Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, Washington Mystics forward Tina Charles and Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot.
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.
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.
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 10th 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 (12th) 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 14th 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 overall. During the season, she moved into fourth on the league’s career list for total assists (2,180) and also averaged a career-high 1.69 steals (third in the WNBA).
