NEW YORK – Atlanta Dream center/forward Elizabeth Williams is the winner of the 2016 WNBA Most Improved Player presented by Samsung, the WNBA announced today.  The second-year pro is the first Dream player to earn the honor.

Williams received 14 of 39 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Washington Mystics guard Tayler Hill finished second with nine votes.  Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and New York Liberty guard Sugar Rodgers tied for third with five votes apiece.  Connecticut Sun guard Jasmine Thomas received two votes, followed by Dallas Wings guard/forward Karima Christmas, Chicago Sky guard Jamierra Faulkner, Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard and Washington center Emma Meesseman with one vote each.

The fourth pick in WNBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm, Williams raised her scoring average from 3.3 points last season to 11.9 this season and increased her rebounding average from 3.2 to 8.1 (fifth in the WNBA).  She ranked second in the league in blocks with 2.3 per game, up from 0.9 as a rookie with the Sun in 2015.  The former Duke standout tied for the WNBA high in minutes with 34.7 per game after averaging 11.7 last season.

Williams started all 34 games for the Dream, leading the team in rebounding and blocks and ranking third in scoring.  She helped Atlanta finish 17-17 and secure the sixth seed in the 2016 playoffs.  The Dream hosts the Storm in a single-elimination playoff game tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS.

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 WNBA Most Improved Player presented by Samsung, Williams will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy from Tiffany & Co.

Below are the voting results of the 2016 WNBA Most Improved Player presented by Samsung and a list of past recipients:

2016 WNBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG VOTING RESULTS     

 Player                                        Team                                  Points

Elizabeth Williams                   Atlanta Dream                   14

Tayler Hill                                   Washington Mystics           9

Jewell Loyd                                Seattle Storm                     5

Sugar Rodgers                           New York Liberty               5

Jasmine Thomas                        Connecticut Sun                2

Karima Christmas                       Dallas Wings                     1

Jamierra Faulkner                       Chicago Sky                     1

Natasha Howard                         Minnesota Lynx                 1

Emma Meesseman                     Washington Mystics         1

 

ALL-TIME WNBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG WINNERS

Year	Player	Team
2016	Elizabeth Williams	Atlanta Dream
2015	Kelsey Bone	Connecticut Sun
2014	Skylar Diggins	Tulsa Shock
2013	Shavonte Zellous	Indiana Fever
2012	Kristi Toliver	Los Angeles Sparks
2011	Kia Vaughn	New York Liberty
2010	Leilani Mitchell	New York Liberty
2009	Crystal Langhorne	Washington Mystics
2008	Ebony Hoffman	Indiana Fever
2007	Janel McCarville	New York Liberty
2006	Erin Buescher	Sacramento Monarchs
2005	Nicole Powell	Sacramento Monarchs
2004	Wendy Palmer/Kelly Miller	Connecticut Sun/Indiana Fever
2003	Michelle Snow	Houston Comets
2002	Coco Miller	Washington Mystics
2001	Janeth Arcain	Houston Comets
2000	Tari Phillips	New York Liberty

 

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.

 

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