Breanna Stewart wins 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie team announced

Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm, who led all first-year players in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots this season, is the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year the WNBA announced today.  Stewart, a 6-4 forward, and Seattle guard Jewell Loyd – the 2015 winner – make the Storm the first team in WNBA history to have the Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons.

Stewart, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, received 38 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters.  San Antonio Stars guard Moriah Jefferson, Stewart’s former teammate at the University of Connecticut, was the only other player to receive a vote.

Stewart topped all rookies with 18.3 points (sixth in the WNBA), 9.3 rebounds (second) and 1.9 blocks (third).  She became the sixth player in WNBA history to reach all three of those averages in the same season, joining Sylvia Fowles, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.

Behind Stewart, the Storm finished 16-18 and advanced to the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2013.  Stewart appeared in all 34 regular-season games and tied for the league lead in minutes (34.7 mpg).  She ranked second among rookies in assists (3.4 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) and was third in field goal percentage (45.7) and free throw percentage (83.3).

A 2016 Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball, Stewart earned all four WNBA Rookie of the Month presented by Samsung awards and was named Western Conference Player of the Week once.

In honor of being named the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung, Stewart will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

The 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