Storm's Breanna Stewart Headlines 2016 WNBA All-Rookie Team


NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2016 – Forward Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm, the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung, leads the 2016 WNBA All-Rookie Team as one of three unanimous selections, the WNBA announced today.

The All-Rookie Team also features guard Moriah Jefferson of the San Antonio Stars, forward Aerial Powers of the Dallas Wings, center Imani Boyette of the Chicago Sky and guard Tiffany Mitchell of the Indiana Fever.

Stewart, Jefferson and Powers received the maximum 11 votes from a panel of the WNBA’s 12 head coaches, who each selected five players regardless of position and were not permitted to vote for players on their own team.  Boyette earned 10 votes and Mitchell received six.

Stewart, the top overall selection in the 2016 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, led all rookies with 18.3 points (sixth in the WNBA), 9.3 rebounds (second) and 1.9 blocked shots (third).  She also ranked second among first-year players in assists (3.4 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) while starting all 34 games and tying for the league lead in minutes (34.7 mpg).  Behind Stewart, the Storm advanced to the WNBA Playoffs presented by Verizon for the first time since 2013.

Jefferson, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft and Stewart’s teammate at the University of Connecticut, topped all rookies in assists (4.2 apg) and steals (1.6 spg) and ranked second in scoring (13.9 ppg).  She started all 34 games and scored in double figures in each of her final 19 contests, a streak that began with a career-high 31-point performance against Indiana on July 1.

Powers, a former Michigan State standout, was the third-leading rookie scorer (10.4 ppg).  The fifth pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Powers also finished second among first-year players in free throw percentage (83.5) and third in three-point field goal percentage (36.8) in 32 games.  She averaged 14.2 points in her final six games of the season.

Boyette, who starred at the University of Texas before being selected with the 10th pick in the 2016 draft, ranked second among rookies in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and blocks (1.4 bpg).  She started 16 of 31 games and averaged 6.7 points in 18.9 minutes, helping the Sky secure the fourth seed in the playoffs.

Mitchell, picked one spot ahead of Boyette in the draft, averaged 8.6 points (fourth among rookies) to help the Fever extend its WNBA record for consecutive playoff appearances to 12.  She led first-year players in free throw percentage (91.1, fourth in the WNBA) and made 42 consecutive free throws from June 17-Sept. 18, the longest streak in franchise history.

Below are the top finishers in the voting for the 2016 WNBA All-Rookie Team:

2016 WNBA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Player Team Position Votes
Moriah Jefferson San Antonio Stars Guard 11
Aerial Powers Dallas Wings Forward 11
Breanna Stewart Seattle Storm Forward 11
Imani Boyette Chicago Sky Center 10
Tiffany Mitchell Indiana Fever Guard 6

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