2006 WNBA Award Winners
Most
Valuable PlayerSparks center Lisa Leslie won the WNBA MVP award, her third such award in her illustrious career. While leading the Sparks to the best record in the Western Conference (25-9), Leslie also led the league in double-doubles (17) and defensive rebounds (240); ranked second in total rebounds (323) and blocks (57); third in points (680), free throws (158) and field goals made (257), and sixth in field-goal percentage (51.1 percent). So dominant was Leslie’s performance that she led Los Angeles in both points and rebounds in the same game in 16 of the Sparks’ 34 contests.
2006
All-WNBA Teams
Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson, Tamika Catchings,
Katie Douglas and Diana Taurasi were chosen First Team All-WNBA.
Cheryl Ford, Alana Beard, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Seimone Augustus and Sheryl
Swoopes make up the Second Team.
Kim
Perrot Sportsmanship AwardDawn Staley of the Houston Comets was named the recipient of the 2006 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. Staley, who has announced her retirement following the end of the season, becomes the first two-time winner of the award.
Rookie
of the Year
Lynx guard Seimone Augustus was named the 2006 WNBA
Rookie of the Year. The first overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft, Augustus
had one of the best seasons for a rookie in WNBA history and finished second in
the WNBA in scoring, the first rookie to top 20 points per game.
Augustus, Pondexter headline All-Rookie
Team Seimone
Augustus 2006 photo gallery
Coach
of the Year
Connecticut Sun coach Mike
Thibault was named 2005 WNBA Coach of
the Year on August 20 after leading his team to its third straight regular
season Conference title. Thibault has led the Sun to the Finals the previous two
seasons. Mike
Thibault 2006 photo gallery
Most
Improved Player
Monarchs forward Erin
Buescher was named the recipient of the 2006 WNBA Most
Improved Player of the Year award. On the season, Buescher averaged 9.7 points
and 3.9 rebounds -- up from 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds from a year ago.
Defensive
Player of the Year
Indiana Fever forward Tamika
Catchings was named the 2006 WNBA Defensive
Player of the Year for the first time in her career. Catchings lead the league
in steals this season and anchored one of the best defenses on the league, leading
the Fever in steals and rebounds, not to mention points, assists and blocks.
Tamika Catchings 2006 photo gallery
All-Defensive
Team Selections
In addition to Defensive Player of the Year Tamika
Catchings, Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa
Leslie, Former Defensive Player of the Year Sheryl
Swoopes and 2006 All-Star Game MVP Katie
Douglas headline the 2006 WNBA All-Defensive
Team. Ten players make up the First and Seconds Teams.
Peak Performers
Mercury guard Diana
Taurasi, Detroit's Cheryl Ford
and Washington's Nikki Teasley have been named the 2006 WNBA Peak
Performers. Taurasi led the WNBA in scoring with 25.3 points a game. Ford
led the WNBA in rebounding, finishing with 11.3 boards per game. Teasley finished
the 2006 season with 5.4 assists per game. Both Taurasi and Ford's marks set new
WNBA single-season records
Past Award Winners
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