2008 WNBA Award Winners
Most
Valuable Player
Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker has been named the 2008 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by T-Mobile. Parker, the top overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, caps a season in which she has also earned All-WNBA First Team honors, the Hanns-G �Go Beyond� Rookie of the Year Award, two Hanns-G �Go Beyond� Rookie of the Month Awards (May and July), one Player of the Week Award (Aug. 31) and the Peak Performer Rebounding Award. | Video: Press conference
2008
All-WNBA Teams
Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, Sophia Young, Lindsay Whalen and Diana Taurasi were
chosen First Team All-WNBA. Deanna Nolan, Sue Bird, Becky Hammon, Asjha Jones and Lauren Jackson make
up the Second Team.
Rookie
of the Year
Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker was named the Hanns-G �Go Beyond� 2008 WNBA Rookie of the Year. The No.1 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, Parker topped the charts among rookies in scoring (18.5 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg), blocks (2.3 bpg) and minutes (33.6 mpg).
Video: Press conference
All-Rookie
Team
Sparks rookie Candace Parker headlines the 2008 WNBA
All-Rookie Team. She is joined on the squad by Sixth Woman of the Year Candice Wiggins of the Lynx, Chicago's Sylvia Fowles, Nicky Anosike of the Lynx, Houston's Matee Ajavon and Amber Holt of the Sun.
Sixth
Woman of the Year
Minnesota Lynx guard Candice Wiggins has been named the 2008 WNBA Sixth Woman
of the Year after helping to propel the Lynx to 16 wins, the second-best total
in team history and a six-game improvement on 2007. Despite coming off the bench
in all but one of her 30 games played, Wiggins wrapped up the season second
on the team in points (15.7 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg).
Coach
of the Year Presented by AOL.com
Connecticut Sun Head Coach Mike Thibault is the recipient of the 2008
WNBA Coach of the Year award presented by AOL.com. After an overhaul of the
Sun's roster in the offseason, Thibault opened the season with the third-youngest
team in the league and a roster devoid of three of its top five scorers from
the previous year. He steered the Sun to a three-game improvement over 2007,
earning the No. 2 playoff spot in the East. | Video:
Press conference
Kim
Perrot Sportsmanship Award
San Antonio Silver Stars guard Vickie Johnson was named the recipient
of the 2008 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. "Vickie is the consummate professional,"
said WNBA President Donna Orender. "Her passion, love of the game and dedication
to her teammates is the same today as it was 12 years ago when she helped launch
the WNBA, and that's evident in the way she plays the game night in and night
out."
Most
Improved Player
Indiana Fever forward Ebony
Hoffman has been named the 2008
WNBA Most Improved Player. Hoffman received 31 votes from a national panel
of sportswriters and broadcasters. Chicago Sky guard Jia Perkins finished second
with five votes and New York Liberty forward Shameka Christon placed third with
two votes. | Video:
Press conference
Defensive
Player of the Year
Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa
Leslie was named the 2008
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Leslie received 20 votes from a national
panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, beating out Detroit Shock guard Katie
Smith, who garnered five votes. Leslie previously won the award in 2004. | Video:
Press conference
All-Defensive
Team Selections
In addition to Defensive Player of the Year Lisa Leslie, two-time Defensive Player of the Year Tamika Catchings, Sophia Young of the Silver Stars, Ticha Penicheiro of the Monarchs and Fever guard Tully Bevilaqua
headline the 2008 WNBA All-Defensive
Team. Ten players make up the First and Seconds Teams.
WNBA Peak Performers
Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury, Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks and Lindsay Whalen of the Connecticut Sun were named the WNBA�s Peak Performers for 2008. Taurasi earns the second Peak Performer award for scoring in her career after averaging 24.1 points per game. With 9.5 rebounds per game, Parker beat out her teammate, Lisa Leslie (8.9 rpg), as well as Chicago's Candice Dupree (7.9 rpg) to earn the rebounding award in her rookie season. In the closest race of the three categories, Whalen dished out 5.4 assists per game to narrowly edge Sacramento Monarchs guard Ticha Penicheiro.