NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2021 – Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, the 2021 WNBA Most Valuable Player, has been unanimously selected to the 2021 All-WNBA First Team, the WNBA announced today.
Jones was named to the All-WNBA First Team on all 49 ballots in voting by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. This marks the All-WNBA First Team debut for Jones, who was previously selected to the Second Team twice.
Joining Jones (245 points) on the 2021 All-WNBA First Team are Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (212) and center Brittney Griner (197) and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (197) and guard Jewell Loyd (150). This is the sixth All-WNBA selection for Griner, the fifth for Diggins-Smith and the fourth for Stewart, with each player named to the First Team for the third time. For Loyd, this is her first selection to the All-WNBA First Team and her second All-WNBA honor overall.
The 2021 All-WNBA Second Team consists of Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (177 points), Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles (148), Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (134), Washington Mystics forward Tina Charles (118) and Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (111).
Charles is an All-WNBA Team choice for the ninth time and Fowles for the seventh time. Vandersloot is an All-WNBA honoree for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time overall. Wilson and Ogunbowale have been selected to the All-WNBA Team for the second straight year and second time in their careers.
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. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.
2021 All-WNBA First Team
Jonquel Jones, Sun: In her fifth WNBA season, Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.26 blocked shots and 1.26 steals. The 6-6 forward led the WNBA in rebounding and ranked fourth in scoring and 10th in blocks. Behind Jones, the Sun posted the highest winning percentage in franchise history (.813), the WNBA’s best record (26-6) and a 14-game winning streak to finish the regular season.
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Mercury: The 5-9 Diggins-Smith averaged 17.7 points (ninth in the WNBA) and 5.3 assists (sixth). She also became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 3,000 points, 1,000 assists and 200 steals in a career.
Brittney Griner, Mercury: The 6-9 Griner was the runner-up in MVP voting for the second time after averaging 20.5 points (second in the WNBA) and a career-best 9.5 rebounds (sixth). She led the WNBA in blocks (1.93 bpg) for the eighth time in her nine seasons. Griner also ranked second in the league in field goal percentage (57.5).
Breanna Stewart, Storm: The 2018 WNBA MVP finished third behind Jones and Griner in MVP voting. The 6-4 Stewart averaged 20.3 points (third in the WNBA), 9.5 rebounds (fifth), 2.7 assists and 1.75 blocks (fifth). She also became the fastest player in league history to record 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Jewell Loyd, Storm: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft averaged 17.9 points (seventh in the WNBA), 3.8 assists (12th) and 1.48 steals (seventh). On Sept. 17 against Phoenix, Loyd scored a career-high 37 points – the most points by a player in a game this season – and tied a league record with 22 points in a quarter.
2021 All-WNBA Second Team
A’ja Wilson, Aces: One year after winning the WNBA MVP award, Wilson averaged 18.3 points (sixth in the league) and posted career-best averages of 9.3 rebounds (eighth) and 3.1 assists. Behind Wilson, Las Vegas finished the regular season with the second-best record (24-8).
Sylvia Fowles, Lynx: In her 14th WNBA season, Fowles averaged 16.0 points (14th in the WNBA) and 10.1 rebounds (second) and shot a league-high 64.0 percent from the field. Named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time, the 6-6 Fowles ranked second in the league in both steals (1.81 spg) and blocks (1.81 bpg).
Arike Ogunbowale, Wings: A third-year WNBA player, Ogunbowale ranked fifth in the league in points per game (18.7 ppg) after winning the scoring title last season. The 5-8 guard posted 17 games with at least 20 points, second only to league scoring leader Tina Charles (19).
Tina Charles, Mystics: Charles led the WNBA in scoring with a career-high 23.4 points, the sixth-best average in league history. Returning for her 11th WNBA season after not playing in 2020, the 6-4 Charles also averaged 9.6 rebounds (fourth in the league).
Courtney Vandersloot, Sky: The 5-8 Vandersloot led the WNBA in assists (8.6 apg) for the fifth consecutive season and sixth time overall. During the season, she moved into fourth place on the league’s career list for total assists (2,180). She also averaged a career-high 1.69 steals (third in the WNBA).
In honor of their accomplishments, each member of the All-WNBA First Team will receive $10,300 and each member of the Second Team will receive $5,150.
Below are the voting results for the 2021 All-WNBA Team.
2021 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM
| Position | Player, Team | 1st Team | 2nd Team | Total |
| Forward | Jonquel Jones, Connecticut | 49 | 0 | 245 |
| Guard | Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix | 37 | 9 | 212 |
| Center | Brittney Griner, Phoenix | 31 | 14 | 197 |
| Forward | Breanna Stewart, Seattle | 28 | 19 | 197 |
| Guard | Jewell Loyd, Seattle | 21 | 15 | 150 |
2021 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM
| Position | Player, Team | 1st Team | 2nd Team | Total |
| Forward | A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas | 18 | 29 | 177 |
| Center | Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota | 14 | 26 | 148 |
| Guard | Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas | 13 | 23 | 134 |
| Forward | Tina Charles, Washington | 8 | 26 | 118 |
| Guard | Courtney Vandersloot, Chicago | 9 | 22 | 11 |
About the WNBA
Currently in its 25th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball—and women’s sports overall—with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities, and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s new platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&T, the WNBA’s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and Nike, and the recent addition of Google. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.
For more information, visit WNBA.com.
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Contacts: Ron Howard, WNBA Communications, 212-407-8641, rhoward@nba.com
Sam Tager, WNBA Communications, 212-407-8358, stager@nba.com
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