Aces guard Kelsey Plum earns prestigious WNBA honor

The WNBA’s Sixth Woman of the Year grant remains successful Las Vegas.

Yet again.

Aces defender Kelsey Plum connected Thursday was named Sixth Woman of the Year, receiving 41 votes from a sheet comprised of 49 journalists and broadcasters who screen the WNBA. Teammate Dearica Hamby, who’d won the grant the erstwhile 2 seasons, finished 2nd with 5 votes.

Plum, 27, had the finest twelvemonth of her nonrecreational vocation successful 2021, averaging a career-high 14.8 points connected 43.7 percent shooting — including 38.6 from 3-point scope connected a career-high 4.4 attempts. She played successful 26 games, each arsenic a reserve aft starting 80 games implicit her archetypal 3 seasons.

“Do I emotion it? No,” she said Sept. 19 aft the regular-season finale, “but that’s the relation I’ve been fixed connected this squad and I’m going to marque the astir of it.”

Plum besides eclipsed the 20-point people connected 8 occasions this year, the astir successful a azygous play by a seat subordinate successful league history. She cracked the 30-point people doubly arsenic well, tying a league grounds for reserves acceptable successful 2012 by Aces teammate Angel McCoughtry erstwhile she played for the Atlanta Dream.

Her play peaked successful September, during which she averaged 21.7 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals en way to Western Conference Player of the Month honors. She continued her beardown play connected Tuesday successful Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury, scoring 25 points connected 8-of-17 shooting successful a 96-90 triumph astatine Michelob Ultra Arena.

Hamby had different sublime play for the Aces and averaged 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds arsenic the runner up. She besides changeable a career-high 54.5 percent from the tract and remained 1 of the team’s astir versatile antiaircraft players.

Additionally, Las Vegas wide manager Dan Padover was named the league’s Executive of the Year for the 2nd consecutive play by a sheet comprised of an enforcement from each WNBA team.

The Aces successful the offseason signed defender Chelsea Gray and Riquna Williams, who combined to commencement each crippled successful the backcourt this season. The franchise successful June besides added halfway Kiah Stokes, who started 5 games portion Liz Cambage battled COVID-19 — averaging 9.0 rebounds portion helping the squad to a 4-1 record.

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter.