The WNBA’s Breanna Stewart Era is Underway

On Sunday morning, Breanna Stewart was named the WNBA Most Valuable Player for the 2018 season. The former UConn women’s basketball star is in just her third season in the league and is among the youngest players to receive the award at the age of 23. Only Lauren Jackson (2003) and Candace Parker (2008) received the award at a younger age.

Stewart received 33 of the 39 first place votes for MVP. She also earned her second All-Star game appearance this year, and set a new franchise record for the Storm with 742 points in the regular season.

This season, Stewart led the top ranked Seattle Storm in both points and rebounds per game. Her 21.8 points per game also ranked second in the league, and her 8.4 rebounds per game ranked third. She collected an impressive 25.7 percent of available defensive rebounds while on the floor (fourth in the league) and also scored 1.27 points per scoring attempt.

Stewart’s teammate and fellow UConn alumnae Sue Bird was also recognized in the year-end WNBA awards, receiving the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award for exemplifying sportsmanship on the court this season. In her 16th season in the league, Bird scored 10.1 points per game and assisted on 40.7 percent of her teammates’ field goals while on the floor for a career high 7.1 assists per game. Her assists ranked second in the league this season.

The Seattle storm earned a double-bye in the playoffs for their first-place finish in the regular season. Both Stewart and Bird return to the court for the Storm in the semifinals on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday this week.