Bird Named WNBA Peak Performer
 Bird |
SEATTLE - Seattle Storm guard
Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury and Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks won the 2009 WNBA Peak Performer Awards for assists, scoring and rebounding, respectively, the WNBA announced today.
The WNBA Peak Performer awards are given annually to the players who lead the league in scoring, rebounding and assists during the regular season. Each player will receive a Tiffany trophy in honor of their accomplishments.
Bird recorded 5.8 assists per game to edge out Sacramento guard Ticha Penicheiro (5.2 apg), the leagues all-time assists leader, Hammon (5.0 apg) and Pondexter (5.0 apg) for the assists crown. She previously won the top assist award in 2005 with 5.9 assists.
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Taurasi earns her second consecutive and third overall Peak Performer award for scoring after averaging 20.4 points per game in 2009. She also won the scoring title in 2006 (25.3 ppg) and 2008 (24.1 ppg). The sixth-year veteran outpaced San Antonio guard Becky Hammon (19.5 ppg), Seattle Storm forward 
Lauren Jackson (19.2) and Phoenix guard Cappie Pondexter (19.1 ppg).
Taurasi averaged over 20 points for the third time in her career (2006, 2008) and shot a career-best 46.1 percent from the field. She scored 20 or more points in 20 games this season, including a season-high 34 at New York on July 26. She boosted her league-record for 30 point games to 23 with two 30-point performances. On Sept. 5, Taurasi became the fastest player to 4,000 career points doing so in 197 games to break Jacksons record (209). She led the league in three pointers made with 79 and ranked seventh in the league in three-point shooting percentage (40.7). Taurasi ranks 13th in league history for points scored (4,029) and third in all-time points per game (20.3). With 9.8 rebounds per game, Parker bested Erika de Souza (9.1 rpg), Candice Dupree (7.9 rpg) and Crystal Langhorne (7.9 rpg) to earn her second consecutive rebounding award. She won the Peak Performer award for rebounding last year as a rookie with 9.5 rpg.
Parker, a two-time Player of the Week in 2009, totaled 15 double-doubles in 25 games this season. The second-year player closed her season with six straight games of double figures in rebounds. In her final 21 games, she recorded 10 or more rebounds 17 times and corralled a season-high 14 rebounds twice. In her final game of the season, she tied the 2009 WNBA single-game high with eight offensive rebounds. She narrowly missed averaging a double-double (13.1 ppg) for the second year in a row, while leading the league in blocks (2.1)
Single-game tickets for the Seattle Storms first home playoff game of the Western Conference Semifinals at KeyArena start at just $16. They can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling 1-877-WNBA-TIX.
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