Finals MVP: Emma Meesseman (6'4''-C-93) of Washington M. Most Valuable Player: Elena Delle Donne (6'5''-G/F-89) of Washington M. Most Improved Player: Leilani Mitchell (5'5''-PG-85) of Phoenix M. Sixth Woman of the Year: Dearica Hamby (191-F-93) of Las Vegas A. Rookie of the Year: Napheesa Collier (6'3''-F-96) of Minnesota L. Defensive Player of the Year: Natasha Howard (6'3''-C-91) of Seattle S. Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award: Natasha Cloud (6'0''-G-92) of Washington M. Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Nneka Ogwumike (6'3''-F-90) of L.Angeles S. Coach of the Year: James Wade of Chicago S.
Elena Delle Donne spirits Washington Mystics to first WNBA championship - Oct 11, 2019
Elena Delle Donne (6'5''-G/F-89, college: Delaware) felt cursed. Every time she made it to the game's biggest stage, she was hindered by injuries. This time around it was three herniated disks in her back. The league's MVP wouldn't let that keep her from her first WNBA championship. Emma Meesseman (6'4''-C-93, agency: LBM Management) scored 22 points and Delle Donne added 21 to help the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun 89-78 on Thursday night in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the finals. 'Every time I get the finals, something happens,' Delle Donne said. 'I think I pissed the basketball gods off when I decided to step away (in college). I hope this ends the drama that I'm having in the finals.' It was the first title in franchise history. 'It feels phenomenal, my goodness, feels so good. Hard to put it into words,' said Delle Donne, who fell short in two previous finals appearances. 'To win it with such a great group of people. We wanted to win it for the person next to us. We'll remember this season. I'm kind of sad the season's about to be over. My goodness, we sure ended this on a high note.' It was a fitting conclusion to an entertaining series and WNBA season. This was the seventh series in league history that had gone to a deciding Game 5, and the home team has won five of them. Delle Donne scored four points during a decisive 8-0 run that gave the Mystics an 80-72 lead with under three minutes left. But it was Meesseman, the soft-spoken Belgian who unveiled a new, aggressive 'Playoff Emma' persona during the title run, who was named MVP of the finals. Meesseman missed last season while playing with the Belgian national team. 'I don't think I'm the missing piece. I'm their teammate (and did what) I need to do help my team win a championship. This is my family right here,' she said. Delle Donne, a seven-year veteran and two-time MVP, came to Washington three years ago in a trade from Chicago, hoping to get the Mystics their first title. She grew up about an hour from the city in Delaware and wanted to be closer to home. Delle Donne sat out a year in college when she transferred in the summer before her freshman season from UConn to Delaware to be closer to her sister Lizzie, who is blind, deaf and has cerebral palsy. 'Lizzie has been my journey, and some people have never understood my decisions. Others have. But she's been my path, and somehow she's gotten me to this moment,' Delle Donne said. 'You know, it's been a crazy journey. It's been my own path. It's been different from everyone else's. I've just kind of believed in it, and you've got to follow your heart, and I've always trusted in her. Another reason I can battle through injury is like she's been dealt the worst cards possible with her disabilities, and every day she gets up, she smiles, she laughs, she loves. So she's always just been my inspiration.' Delle Donne has battled injuries and illnesses all season, breaking her nose early in the year. She still wears a mask to protect it. She also wears a knee brace on her right knee after suffering a bone bruise in last year's Finals. Coach Mike Thibault earned his first WNBA championship. The league's all-time winningest coach had reached the finals three times in his career - twice with Connecticut - and last season with Washington, but fell short each time. The game got off to a slow start with choppy play, but it picked up during a back-and-forth second half. The Mystics trailed by nine midway through the third quarter before rallying within two at the end of the period. The teams traded the lead in the final period until Delle Donne hit a tough fadeaway midway through the quarter. After a Connecticut miss, Kristi Toliver - the only player on either team who had won a title before - drove down the lane and hit a beautiful finger-roll layup to give the Mystics a 76-72 lead. Delle Donne added another basket, and Meesseman capped the run with a jumper. 'Emma went to work inside. Elena does what she does. You have to beat them by defending them. All the players stepped up in the fourth quarter when we needed it,' Thibault said. Connecticut could only get within six points the rest of the way. 'They were just better down the stretch,' Sun coach Curt Miller said. 'Defensively, it wasn't anything more than they were really physical. They were the physical team down the stretch when they needed it.' Delle Donne got the final rebound and hugged her teammates at center court as the final buzzer sounded. Jonquel Jones (6'6''-C-94, college: GWU) had 25 points for the Sun and Alyssa Thomas (6'2''-F-92, college: Maryland) added 21 points and 12 rebounds. Delle Donne said the team was aware that the only thing missing from its coach's resume was the championship and was thrilled to help give him his first. The two shared a long embrace at center court as confetti rained down after the game. 'I said I was very happy that I am one of the players and this team was able to bring him something that he hasn't done yet,' Delle Donne said of their postgame celebration. Meesseman got rolling when the Mystics desperately needed her, with Connecticut leading by nine. She scored 11 points in the third period on array of post moves and outside shots to get the Mystics within 64-62 heading into the final quarter. Meesseman said her motivation was simple. 'The trophy,' she said. 'It's a championship game. That's all I need. I'm just playing basketball. Today I just shot my shot.' Courtesy of: theguardian.com
Erica Wheeler Drops 25, Wins 2019 WNBA All-Star Game MVP as Team Wilson Triumphs - Jul 28, 2019
A'Ja Wilson (6'5''-C-96, college: S.Carolina) couldn't help her team on the floor, but her drafting skills paid off at the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game. Erica Wheeler (5'7''-PG-91, college: Rutgers) came off the bench and scored 25 points, leading Team Wilson to a 129-126 win over Team Delle Donne on Saturday in Las Vegas. "Just never give up, man," Wheeler said on ESPN. "Just never give up, no matter what nobody tell you. Just keep moving." "I use my mom as my motivation," Wheeler said. "I lost her when I was in college to cancer, so I just keep moving because I know she's watching me more than ever. This one right here is for you, Mom." The Indiana Fever star knocked down seven threes and added seven assists as part of a strong bench effort from Team Wilson, whose namesake missed the event because of an ankle injury. Allie Quigley (5'10''-G-86, college: DePaul), who replaced Wilson in the starting lineup, had 14 points. Nneka Ogwumike (6'3''-F-90, college: Stanford) led the way for Team Delle Donne with 22 points off the bench. Elena Delle Donne (6'5''-G/F-89, college: Delaware) struggled in her 21 minutes of action, scoring just six points on 2-of-6 shooting. Jonquel Jones of Team Delle Donne had the game's only double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The 2019 All-Star Game was historic on a number of levels. The teams combined to score the most points (255) and assists (69) in an All-Star Game. Team Wilson's 21 three-pointers also set a record, while Wheeler's seven threes tied the all-time mark. It was also notable because the WNBA experimented with one live-ball substitution, a rule the league could look to implement in the future. Delle Donne and Courtney Vandersloot (5'8''-PG-89, college: Gonzaga) pulled off the first-ever live sub during the first quarter. Overall, there was a typical All-Star Game flair to the festivities. Nearly every player got a chance to shine. Seven different players on Team Wilson scored in double figures, while there were six on Team Delle Donne. No player received more than 24 minutes of playing time, and Napheesa Collier (6'3''-F-96, college: Connecticut) was the only player who didn't receive at least 10 minutes of action. Team Wilson won in large part because of a dominating 39-23 first quarter, which gave the squad a lead it never relinquished. Team Delle Donne won the final three quarters of the game but never got closer than within one possession. Wheeler's final three-a stone-cold step-back dagger with 22 seconds remaining-sealed the deal for her team and the MVP honors. Courtesy of: bleacherreport.com
The 2019 WNBA All-Star weekend has begun, and it was highlighted with young talent in Friday's festivities. As the All-Stars prepare for the showcase in Saturday's game, a number of selections and players invited specifically for these events participated in the skills challenge and 3-point contest. Diamond Deshields (6'1''-G-95, college: Tennessee), a first-time All-Star and second-year player with the Chicago Sky, won the skills competition, beating out the likes of the Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner (6'8''-C-90, college: Baylor) and Minnesota Lynx's Odyssey Sims (5'9''-G-92, college: Baylor, agency: Slash Sports). It was the first time the event was featured since 2010, and DeShields won in style. She became the shortest player - tying Patrick Beverley (2015) and Trey Burke (2014) - in NBA or WNBA history to win the competition. DeShields had some helpful advice for her Sky teammate, Allie Quigley (5'10''-G-86, college: DePaul), who entered the night as the two-time reigning 3-point contest champion and set a record last year for most made three-pointers in the contest in NBA/WNBA history. "Do what I taught you," DeShields told ESPN, which aired the event. Quigley, however, wasn't able to advance to the finals. Instead, it was the Connecticut Sun's Shekinna Stricklen (6'2''-G/F-90, college: Tennessee) and the 2018 runner up Kayla McBride (5'11''-G-92, college: Notre Dame) of the Las Vegas Aces, who are hosting the event. McBride, one of the top 3-point shooters in the league at 47.4%, banked 22 points but only after Stricklen recorded 23. The first-time All-Star let out a contagious yell when she squeaked by McBride. Stricklen joined Quigley (2017), Katie Douglas (2010), and Laurie Koehn (2007) as the only players in WNBA history to score 20 points in both rounds of the competition. All of this excitement, including a dunk from Griner during the skills challenge, is leading up to the All-Star game which will feature some changes. The league will experiment with rule changes including hockey-style substitutions and a 20-second shot clock instead of the usual 24. The All-Star game will air Saturday on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET. Courtesy of: flowsports.co
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