NEW YORK – Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm, who led all first-year players in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots this season, has been named the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung, the WNBA announced today.  Stewart, a 6-4 forward, and Seattle guard Jewell Loyd – the 2015 winner – make the Storm the first team in WNBA history to have the Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, Stewart received 38 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters.  San Antonio Stars guard Moriah Jefferson, Stewart’s former teammate at the University of Connecticut, was the only other player to receive a vote.

Stewart topped all rookies with 18.3 points (sixth in the WNBA), 9.3 rebounds (second) and 1.9 blocks (third).  She became the sixth player in WNBA history to reach all three of those averages in the same season, joining Sylvia Fowles, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.

Behind Stewart, the Storm finished 16-18 and advanced to the WNBA Playoffs presented by Verizon for the first time since 2013.  Stewart appeared in all 34 regular-season games and tied for the league lead in minutes (34.7 mpg).  She ranked second among rookies in assists (3.4 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) and was third in field goal percentage (45.7) and free throw percentage (83.3).

The North Syracuse, N.Y., native scored in double figures 31 times and logged 12 double-doubles.  She scored at least 20 points in 14 games and hit the 30-point mark twice, registering a season-high 38 points in an 84-81 win against the Atlanta Dream on June 28 and 32 points in a 93-82 loss to the Indiana Fever on July 10.  Stewart also grabbed 10 or more rebounds 13 times, including 17 boards at home against the New York Liberty on June 5 and 16 at New York on July 6.

A 2016 Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball, Stewart earned all four WNBA Rookie of the Month presented by Samsung awards and was named Western Conference Player of the Week once.

This year marks the third season that Samsung, an official WNBA marketing partner, is serving as the presenting partner of the WNBA’s highest individual honors.  The WNBA Performance Awards presented by Samsung program includes the WNBA Most Valuable Player, WNBA Most Improved Player, WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, WNBA Rookie of the Year and the WNBA Players of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards.

In honor of being named the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung, Stewart will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

adidas is commemorating Stewart’s Rookie of the Year win with exclusive T-shirts available tomorrow on WNBAStore.com.

Below are the complete results of the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung voting, followed by a list of previous winners:

2016 WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR vOTING RESULTS

WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ALL-TIME WINNERS

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics, mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today’s technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment, Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality, wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading content and services related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video, customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones and HDTVs in the U.S. and one of America’s fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.

About the WNBA
The WNBA, which features 12 teams, is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity.  The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, concluded its 20^th regular season on Sept. 18, 2016.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education.  For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.