Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm

Jackson averaged 25.5 points on 47.2 percent shooting from the field, 62.5 percent shooting from three-point range, and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line, to go along with 6.5 rebounds, 3.00 steals and 3.00 blocked shots in 38.5 minutes per game in the Storm’s 2-0 week. Seattle has won five straight, and trails the front-running Los Angeles Sparks by one game. Jackson is leading the WNBA in scoring (21.2) and three-point field goal percentage (48.8), while ranking 10th in rebounds per game (6.9), third in blocks (2.00), third in field goal percentage (47.9) and eighth in minutes played (34.5). Jackson has now scored in double figures in 75 consecutive games – the second longest streak in WNBA history. Jackson began the week against the Indiana Fever on July 22 by scoring 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field while picking up three steals in the Storm’s 59-54 win. Two days later, the 2003 WNBA MVP scored 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds, blocked five shots and picked up three steals in a 67-63 win over the Houston Comets.

Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Charlotte’s Dawn Staley, Connecticut’s Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Houston’s Sheryl Swoopes, Minnesota’s Katie Smith, New York’s Elena Baranova, Phoenix’s Anna DeForge and Washington’s Alana Beard.

Ratings for ABC’s and ESPN2’s telecasts of WNBA games are up 29 and 25 percent respectively from a year ago. The season-opening telecast featuring the Phoenix Mercury at the Connecticut Sun was the highest rated WNBA game (regular season or playoffs) ever on ABC, and the July 11 telecast featuring the Mercury at the New York Liberty was the highest rated WNBA regular season game ever on ESPN2.