DELLE DONNE AND VANDERSLOOT HONORED
ALL-WNBA FIRST AND SECOND TEAMS
Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne, the 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung, headlines the 2015 All-WNBA First Team, the WNBA announced today. Delle Donne received First Team votes on all 39 ballots, making her the only unanimous pick from a panel of national and local sportswriters and broadcasters.
Joining Delle Donne (195 total points) in the First Team frontcourt are two former WNBA MVPs in 2014 winner Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx, a forward who received 37 First Team votes and 188 points, and 2012 winner Tina Charles of the New York Liberty, a center who earned 24 First Team votes and 167 points. The First Team also features guards DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury (19 First Team votes, 131 points) and Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream (nine First Team votes, 102 points).
Phoenix center Brittney Griner (147 points) highlights the 2015 All-WNBA Second Team and is joined in the frontcourt by Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker (106) and Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings (63). The Second Team backcourt is comprised of Liberty guard Epiphanny Prince (96) and Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (73).
Voting for the All-WNBA First and Second Teams was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season. Players were selected by position and received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team vote.
Delle Donne, a member of the All-WNBA First Team for the first time in her three seasons, averaged a league-high 23.4 points, scoring at least 40 points twice, 30 points five times, and 20 points 21 times. She also shot a WNBA-best 95.0 percent (207-for-218) from the free throw line and finished third in the league in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (2.06 bpg). The First Team honor is the latest accolade for Delle Donne, a Second Team selection in 2014, the leading vote-getter for WNBA All-Star presented by Boost Mobile in two of her three seasons, and the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung.
Moore earned her third straight selection to the All-WNBA First Team. The four-time All-Star was the runner-up to Delle Donne for both the 2015 WNBA MVP Award presented by Samsung and the scoring title (20.6 ppg). She also ranked second in the league in made threes per game (2.1), sixth in steals (1.64 spg), tied for eighth in assists (3.5 apg), and ninth in rebounding (6.7 rpg). Moore and the Lynx are currently tied 1-1 against Catchings and the Fever in the WNBA Finals presented by Boost Mobile, with Game 3 set for Friday, Oct. 9 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Charles was named to the All-WNBA Team for the sixth consecutive year, having been a First Team selection in 2011 and 2012 and a Second Team pick in 2010, 2013, and 2014. She ranked second in the league in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and fourth in scoring (17.1 ppg). Charles finished third in the MVP balloting behind Delle Donne and Moore.
Bonner’s first All-WNBA Team honor follows her first selection to WNBA All-Star presented by Boost Mobile earlier this season. She finished fifth in the league in scoring (15.8 ppg), 10th in steals (1.33 spg), 13th in assists (3.3 apg), and tied for 16th in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
McCoughtry is the only player to be named to the All-WNBA First Team and WNBA All-Defensive First Team in 2015. This marks the fourth All-WNBA nod for the two-time scoring champion, who was a First Team choice in 2011 and a Second Team selection in 2013 and 2014. McCoughtry was third in the WNBA in scoring (20.1 ppg) and second in steals (2.12 spg) this season.
In honor of being named to the All-WNBA First and Second Teams, each player will receive a trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. In addition, $10,000 will be awarded to each member of the First Team, while each member of the Second Team will receive $5,000.
Below are the results of the 2015 All-WNBA Team voting:
2015 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM
Player Team Position Points
Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky Forward 195
Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx Forward 188
Tina Charles New York Liberty Center 167
DeWanna Bonner Phoenix Mercury Guard 131
Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream Guard 102
2015 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM
Player Team Position Points
Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks Forward 106
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever Forward 63
Brittney Griner Phoenix Mercury Center 147
Epiphanny Prince New York Liberty Guard 96
Courtney Vandersloot Chicago Sky Guard 73