Connecticut's Charles and Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week Presented by Boost Mobile
NEW YORK, July 16, 2012 Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun and Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks were named the WNBAs Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week presented by Boost Mobile, respectively, for games played from July 8 to 15.
This marks the first season that Boost Mobile the WNBAs leaguewide marquee partner has presented the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week awards.
For Charles, who ranks in the top three in rebounds (11.3 rpg) and double-doubles (12) in the league, the Player of the Week award presented by Boost Mobile is the eighth such honor of her career, her third of the season, and her second in as many weeks.
The University of Connecticut product led the Sun to a 3-0 record for the week, including a pair of wins in a home-and-home set vs. Washington and a road victory over Chicago. In the process, Charles posted 9.3 rebounds per game, tops in the conference, and tied for fourth in points (19.3 ppg). Charles has scored in double digits in all but one game thus far this season, while her 12 double-doubles and 13.8 rebounds per game rank second in the East only to Chicagos Sylvia Fowles.
Charles opened the week with a 16-point, eight-rebound effort in a 77-70 win at Washington. The following day, in the second half of a home-and-home series, she tallied 17 points and seven boards to again lead the Sun past the Mystics, this time by a score of 85-73. Charles then closed the week by recording her 12th double-double of the season as the Sun rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Sky, capping a five-game winning streak heading into the Olympic Break. Charles led that rally, recording 12 points and eight rebounds in the second half. The win also helped Connecticut maintain its top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 15-4 record, tied with the Minnesota Lynx for the best overall mark in the league.
For Parker, who earned league MVP and Rookie of the Year accolades in 2008, the Player of the Week award presented by Boost Mobile is the ninth of her career and her fourth in the first eight weeks of the 2012 season.
Parker helped lead the Sparks to a 2-0 record on the week as Los Angeles improved to 15-6 overall, third best in the tightly contested Western Conference. For the week, she led the West in blocks (3.5 bpg), ranked second in rebounds (10.5 rpg), and tied for second in scoring (20.5 ppg).
The fifth-year pro opened the week with her 13th double-double of the season, notching 22 points and 14 boards (including 11 on the defensive end), as well as three blocks in a 90-71 road win over the Phoenix Mercury. She then recorded 19 points, four blocks, and seven rebounds in a 77-74 victory at Indiana over the Fever, the second-ranked team in the Eastern Conference.
For the season, Parker leads the league in blocks (2.6 bpg) and sits atop the Western Conference in scoring (19.0 ppg), rebounds (10.2 rpg), and double-doubles (13).
Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week presented by Boost Mobile were Atlantas Sancho Lyttle, Indianas Tamika Catchings, and Chicagos Eshaya Murphy in the East, and, in the West, Minnesotas Maya Moore and San Antonios Jia Perkins.
The WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week presented by Boost Mobile are part of a series of oncourt performance awards called the WNBA Performance Awards presented by Boost Mobile. The series, currently in its first season, also includes the WNBA Players of the Month presented by Boost Mobile and four of the WNBA's most prestigious year-end honors: WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Boost Mobile, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Boost Mobile, WNBA Sixth Woman presented by Boost Mobile, and WNBA Most Improved Player presented by Boost Mobile.
For more information on this week's Players of the Week presented by Boost Mobile winners, visit www.wnba.com/awards.