Aces’ Plum, Sky’s Parker Join MVP Wilson on All-WNBA First Team

Two players of the Aces, guard Kelsey Plum and forward A’ja Wilson, were named to the All-WNBA first team on Thursday.

Plum and Wilson make up an elite first-team list that includes 2018 MVP and Storm star Breanna Stewart, Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and two-time MVP and Sky forward Candace Parker. Wilson, a two-time MVP and ‘22 Defensive Player of the Year, earned her third consecutive All-WNBA honors and second first-team selection.

Stewart, who received her fifth All-WNBA selection and fourth first-team honors, led the WNBA in scoring (21.8 ppg), ranked seventh in rebounds (7.6) and finished tied with Wilson for the most first-team votes. Both Wilson and Stewart were voted on this year’s first-team list on all 56 ballots submitted by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Plum, who finished with the third-most first team votes (50), earned her first WNBA All-Star selection this season, averaging a career high in points (20.2) and assists (5.1) while leading the league in three-pointers made during the regular season. Parker, who recorded her 10th All-WNBA selection, rounded out the list with 24 first-team votes, averaging 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Two players from the Aces’ Finals opponent, Sun forwards Alyssa Thomas and 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones, were named to the All-WNBA second team. Thomas, a three-time All-Star, averaged 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.72 steals while earning her fourth All-Defensive Team selection this season. Jones, who was an All-WNBA first team selection last season, led Connecticut in scoring (14.6 points), rebounding (8.6) and blocked shots (1.15) while notching her third All-Defensive team honors.

Behind the Sun’s stars on the second team include the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, the Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike and Lynx’s Sylvia Fowles. During the season, Ionescu became the first player in WNBA history to record 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a season. 

Ogwumike, the 2016 MVP, averaged 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while Fowles averaged 14.4 points, a league-high 9.8 rebounds and her 11th All-Defensive Team honors (second most in league history) in her final WNBA season. 

The Aces will look to close out the 2022 Finals in Game 3 in Connecticut as Las Vegas currently leads the series, 2-0.