Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson Named 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player Presented by Kia Motors

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2010 – Seattle Storm forward-center Lauren Jackson was named the 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, the league announced today. Jackson, who received 323 points (22 first place votes) from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters, previously earned MVP honors in 2003 and 2007. Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings ranked second with 262 points (10 first place votes) and New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter finished third with 207 points (five). Phoenix Mercury guard-forward Diana Taurasi, the 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, finished fourth with 73 points.

Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.

In honor of being named the WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, Jackson will receive $15,000 and a specially-designed trophy from Tiffany & Co.

Rounding out the top eight vote getters were Washington Mystics forward-center Crystal Langhorne with 54 points, Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry with 41 points, Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles with 19 points, and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird with 14 points.

En route to her third MVP award, Jackson helped propel the Storm to the best record in the WNBA at 28-6, which equaled the most wins in league history (by the 28-4 Los Angeles Sparks in both 2000 and 2001). Seattle also posted the first 17-0 home record in WNBA history.

The Australian native captured the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month presented by Kia Motors honors in May, June and July of this year. She also set a single-season record (later equaled by New York’s

Cappie Pondexter) for most Conference Player of the Week presented by Kia Motors awards with five, all coming in the first nine weeks of the season. In the process, Jackson increased her total haul of weekly honors to 19, the most in WNBA history.

The 10-year pro started all 32 games in which she played and ranked among the WNBA’s top 10 in numerous categories, including finishing fourth in points (20.5 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (8.3 rpg). She also ranked fourth in free-throw percentage (.910), fifth in blocks (1.19 bpg) and seventh in double-doubles (nine).

Jackson finished the season with 656 total points (tallying double figures in all but one game), 264 rebounds (including 175 defensive boards), 38 assists, 38 blocks, and 30 steals. She made 220 of her 476 shots from the field, including 54 of 156 from three-point range.

Jackson, whose Seattle team hosts the Mercury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, led the Storm to a 5-0 mark against Phoenix during the regular season. It was against the Mercury that Jackson logged her best performances of the year. She first recorded her top rebounding effort of the season at Phoenix, pulling down 18 boards and contributing 31 points in a 111-107 triple overtime victory on July 14. In their next meeting she posted a season-high 33 points and added 11 rebounds in a 91-85 home win over the Mercury.

This marks the second season that Kia Motors, an official WNBA marketing partner, has presented four of the league’s most illustrious season-ending awards – the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, and Sixth Woman of the Year – grouped under the banner of “The WNBA Performance Awards presented by Kia Motors.”

For more information on this year’s WNBA Performance Awards presented by Kia Motors, visit www.wnba.com/awards.

Below are the complete results of the 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player of the Year award presented by Kia Motors votes and a list of past recipients:

2010 WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS RESULTS
Points Player Team
323 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
262 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
207 Cappie Pondexter New York Liberty
73 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
54 Crystal Langhorne Washington Mystics
41 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
19 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun
14 Sue Bird Seattle Storm
6 Tina Thompson Los Angeles Sparks
3 Penny Taylor Phoenix Mercury

 

ALL-TIME WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS WINNERS
Year Player Team
2010 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2009 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2006 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2005 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2004 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2003 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2002 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2001 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2000 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
1999 Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
1998 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
1997 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets