Stewart averaged 21.8 points per game and broke three single-season franchise records
The WNBA today announced that Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart has been named the 2018 WNBA Most Valuable Player. Stewart becomes the second player (Lauren Jackson, 2010, 2007, 2003) in franchise history to earn the honor.
Stewart issued the best season by a player in Storm history, toppling multiple single-season franchise records en route to leading Seattle to a No. 1 finish in the WNBA at 26-8 overall. She averaged a career-best 21.8 points per game, ranking second in the league, to go along with 8.4 boards per affair, ranking third overall. In addition to setting the franchise single-season record for points (742), Stewart broke her own single-season franchise record for 20-plus point games, boasting 22 on the year. She eclipsed the 25-point mark 15 times, as well as the 30-point tally five times.
Efficiency wise, Stewartwas second-to-none, connecting on 52.9 percent of her field goals and 41.5 percent of her three-pointers, both of which were career-best efforts. She broke the Storm single-season record for field goals made (270) and nailed a career-high 61 three-pointers in 2018. On Aug. 17 vs. New York, Stewart eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for her career, becoming the fourth-fastest and second-youngest WNBA player to achieve the feat.
Three of Stewart’s five 30-plus point games came in the month of July, making the 6-4 forward an easy candidate for WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month – the first Storm player to earn the award since Jackson in 2010.
A starter for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018, Stewart got the job done on both ends of the court this season, compiling averages of 1.4 blocks, 1.3 steals and 2.5 assists per game. She had double-digit rebounding efforts in 10 games this season and had at least three blocks in four outings. Stewart ultimately finished with a league-leading win shares stat line of 7.75, the best of her career and first Storm player to top the league since Jackson did it in 2010 (8.27).
Most importantly, Stewart led the Storm to victory – the 26 wins rank second all-time in franchise history (28 in 2010), and the Storm won 13 games on the road, setting a franchise record and tying a league-high number. Seattle did not lose back-to-back games in 2018, becoming the fifth WNBA team to do so in league history.
Seattle tips off WNBA Semifinals Game 1 presented by NHL Seattle today against the Phoenix Mercury at 2 p.m. PT on ESPN2. The Storm will then host Game 2 on Tuesday, Aug. 28, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Tickets to the WNBA Semifinals at KeyArena are now on sale and can be purchased by calling (206) 217-WNBA (9622) or by visiting StormBasketball.com.