Brittney Griner Named 2015 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Presented by Samsung
September 17, 2015 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Phoenix Mercury News Release
PHOENIX - After becoming the first player in WNBA history to average more than 4.00 blocked shots per game for a season, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner today was named the 2015 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Samsung, the league announced. This is the second straight Defensive Player of the Year Award for Griner who last season became the first such winner in franchise history.
After missing the first seven games of the season, Griner finished the season with a league-best 105 blocked shots??"only the sixth time in WNBA history a player finished the season with more than 100 blocked shots. Her average of 4.04 blocks per game was the highest in league history, topping Margo Dydek's average of 3.80 set in 1998.
The 6-foot-8 center dominated competition as her blocks per game average was greater than the average of six other WNBA teams. Her average was also nearly 2.0 blocks per game more than LaToya Sanders of Washington who finished second in the league with an average of 1.95 blocks per game. Griner totaled 105 blocks in just 26 games. Kiah Stokes of New York finished second in total blocks with 67 in 34 games.
The three-time WNBA All-Star blocked a season-high nine shots on August 30 at Minnesota and still holds the WNBA single-game record of 11 blocks in a game set on June 29, 2014 at Tulsa. In addition to the WNBA single-game record for blocked shots in a game, Griner also now holds the WNBA single-season record for average blocks per game (4.04, 2015) and the single-single season record for blocked shots in a season (129, 2014). She received 33 of a possible 39 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to win this year's award (complete voting results below).
In just 87 career games with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner has a total of 315 blocked shots and became the franchise leader on August 9, passing Diana Taurasi who has 271 blocks in her 10-year Mercury career. Griner has 25 games with five or more blocks and 14 career games of six or more blocks. She has blocked four or more shots in 45 of 87 career games. She has a career average of 3.6 blocks per game.
Griner's imposing presence in the paint helped the Mercury's overall defense as Phoenix opponents notched the second-lowest field goal percentage in the league this season at 39.6-percent. The Phoenix defense also allowed the fourth-fewest points per game this season, just 72.3 points and held opponents to the third-lowest average of points in the paint at 30.0 points per game.
In winning the award for the second time, Griner joins Teresa Weatherspoon (1997, 1998), Sheryl Swoopes (2000, 2002, 2003), Tamika Catchings (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012) and Sylvia Fowles (2011, 2013) as one of five players to win the award multiple times. Griner is also the only player in Phoenix Mercury history to ever win the award.
Griner and the Mercury begin their best-of-three Western Conference Semifinal series against the Tulsa Shock tonight at 7 p.m. at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Tickets for Game 1 of the Mercury's opening round series are on sale now starting at just $12 and can be purchased at PhoenixMercury.com, the Talking Stick Resort Arena ticket office or by phone at 602-252-WNBA.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 17, 2015
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- Brittney Griner Named 2015 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Presented by Samsung - Phoenix Mercury
- Mercury's Brittney Griner Named 2015 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year - WNBA
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