Wings’ Allisha Gray named 2017 WNBA Rookie of the Year
NEW YORK – Dallas Wings guard Allisha Gray has been named the 2017 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the WNBA announced today. She becomes the second player in franchise history to earn the honor, joining Cheryl Ford, who won the award in 2003 with the Detroit Shock.
Gray received 30 votes from a national panel of 40 sportswriters and broadcasters. Atlanta Dream guard Brittney Sykes received the other 10 votes.
The fourth overall pick in the WNBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm, Gray finished second among rookies in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (3.9 rpg). She also led first-year players in steals with 1.53 per game, which ranked seventh in the WNBA. The 6-foot Gray started all 34 games for Dallas and averaged a rookie-high 27.2 minutes per game.
Gray helped the Wings (16-18) improve by five games from last season and advance to the WNBA Playoffs 2017 presented by Verizon as the seventh seed. In the postseason, Dallas lost its first-round game to the Washington Mystics.
A former University of South Carolina standout, Gray tipped off her professional career by winning WNBA Rookie of the Month honors in May and June. She scored in double figures in five of her first six games and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds twice in her first 12 games.
Gray recorded two games with at least 20 points this season, including a career-high 21-point performance against the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 12. Two days earlier, she scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and matched a career high with four steals against the Phoenix Mercury.
In honor of being named the 2017 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Gray will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co. Fanatics Branded is commemorating Gray’s Rookie of the Year victory with exclusive T-shirts available tomorrow on WNBAStore.com.
Below are the complete results of the 2017 WNBA Rookie of the Year, followed by a list of all-time winners:
2017 WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
30 Allisha Gray Dallas Wings
10 Brittney Sykes Atlanta Dream
WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ALL-TIME WINNERS
2017 Allisha Gray Dallas Wings
2016 Breanna Stewart Seattle Storm
2015 Jewell Loyd Seattle Storm
2014 Chiney Ogwumike Connecticut Sun
2013 Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky
2012 Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks
2011 Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx
2010 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun
2009 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Armintie Price Chicago Sky
2006 Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
2005 Temeka Johnson Washington Mystics
2004 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2003 Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
2002 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2001 Jackie Stiles Portland Fire
2000 Betty Lennox Minnesota Lynx
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics
1998 Tracy Reid Charlotte Sting
About the WNBA
The WNBA – which features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world – is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, completed its 21st regular season on Sept. 3, 2017.
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