Breanna Stewart claims her second WNBA MVP award / News - Basketnews.com

New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart named 2023 WNBA Most Valuable Player after averaging 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals in 34.1 minutes in 40 games.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart has been named the 2023 WNBA Most Valuable Player, the WNBA announced today.

This is the second WNBA Most Valuable Award for Stewart and the first for a member of the Liberty. Stewart previously earned the honor in 2018 with the Seattle Storm.

Stewart becomes the eighth player in WNBA history to win the award multiple times, joining three-time winners Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes and two-time winners Cynthia Cooper, Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker, and A'ja Wilson.

Stewart received 20 first-place votes, 23 second-place votes, and 17 third-place votes from a national panel of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters, earning 446 total points.

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas finished in second place with 439 points (23 first-place votes, 12 second-place votes, and 25 third-place votes).

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson, the 2020 and 2022 WNBA Most Valuable Player, was third with 433 points (17 first-place votes, 25 second-place votes, 17 third-place votes, and one fourth-place vote).

Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote, and one point for a fifth-place vote.

In her seventh WNBA season and first with the Liberty, Stewart averaged 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 blocked shots, and 1.5 steals in 34.1 minutes in 40 games.

She ranked second in the WNBA in scoring, third in rebounding, 16th in assists, fourth in blocks and minutes, and eighth in steals. The four-time All-WNBA First Team selection also finished second in efficiency (27.6) and third in double-doubles (20).

Behind Stewart, New York (32-8) recorded the second-most wins in a season in league history, posted its largest average margin of victory (13.16) in a season, and earned the No. 2 seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs.

The 6-4 Stewart was named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for three of the four possible months of the 2023 WNBA season: May, July, and August, when New York posted a combined 21-4 record. In addition, she was honored as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week six times.

Stewart, a native of North Syracuse, N.Y, and a four-time NCAA champion at the University of Connecticut, was selected by the Storm with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm.

She signed with the Liberty as an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2023 season. Stewart holds career averages of 20.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.4 steals.

In honor of being named the 2023 WNBA Most Valuable Player, Stewart will receive $15,450 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

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