Candice Dupree and Seimone Augustus Named WNBA Players of the Week

NEW YORK, June 15, 2009 � Candice Dupree of the Chicago Sky and Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx were named the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Saturday, June 6 through Sunday, June 14.

Dupree earns her second-career Player of the Week award after leading the Sky to a 2-1 record, the franchise�s best start, with wins over Atlanta and Seattle. Over the nine days, Dupree averaged a team-high 19.3 points on 44.9 percent (22-49) shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 blocks. She also led the WNBA in three-point shooting 71.4 percent (5-7) from behind the arc.

The highlight of Dupree�s week came in the Sky�s win over the Dream when she scored 23 points, collected eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists. The trio of three pointers she made in the game marked a career high. Including the season opener, Dupree, a lifetime 5.9 percent (1-17) three-point shooter entering the season, drained her first five three-point attempts of 2009. In Sunday�s win over Seattle, Dupree narrowly missed a double-double by one rebound. She finished the game with 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

A two-time WNBA All-Star, Dupree has averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds over her first three seasons.

Augustus picks up the third Player of the Week award of her career after averaging 21.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting 54.1 percent (33-61) on field goals and 60.0 percent (6-10) on three-pointers. Her performance propelled the Lynx to a 3-1 record and placed them in a tie for first place in the Western Conference.

On opening night against Chicago, Augustus, who was playing in her 100th career game, scored 23 points to run her career point total to 2,127, second only to Cynthia Cooper (2,187) for points scored in the first 100 games. One night later against Indiana, she scored 19 points on 9-11 shooting to contribute to the team�s 63.2 field goal percentage, a franchise record. In the team�s 87-76 win over the Sparks, she scored 30 points for the 11th time in her career. Also in that game, she pulled in nine rebounds and made four three-pointers, both of which tied career highs.

Augustus, a former No. 1 overall pick in 2006, ranks first among WNBA career leaders with 21.3 points per game. She has been a two-time WNBA All-Star, a two-time All-WNBA Second Team selection and the 2006 WNBA Rookie of the Year. In 2008, she won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. Olympic Women�s Basketball Team in Beijing.

Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week were Atlanta�s Sancho Lyttle, Detroit�s Deanna Nolan, Los Angeles� Betty Lennox, Phoenix�s Diana Taurasi, Sacramento�s Kara Lawson, San Antonio�s Sophia Young, Seattle�s Lauren Jackson and Washington�s Alana Beard.

About the WNBA
The WNBA is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement and diversity. Comprised of 13 teams, the WNBA is the most successful women�s professional team sports league in the world. The league concluded its historic 12th regular season with increases in attendance, ratings, Web traffic and merchandise sales. The 2009 WNBA season tipped off June 6 on ABC.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women�s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.