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Women's National Basketball Association

Chicago Sky's Elena Delle Donne Named 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year

September 20, 2013 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2013 - Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky is the recipient of the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, the WNBA announced today. Delle Donne was a unanimous selection by a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters who voted for the award.

The No. 2 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, Delle Donne led all rookies in points (18.1 ppg), free throw percentage (.929, 157-for-169), three-point field goal percentage (.438, 42-for-96), and minutes (31.4 mpg). She ranked second amongst her fellow rookies in rebounds (5.6 rpg) and blocks (1.8 bpg). Overall, she led the league in free-throw percentage, while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage, fourth in scoring, and fifth in blocks. The 6-5 forward/guard swept the Rookie of the Month honors this season.

The Delaware product appeared in 30 games, scoring in double digits in all but two, and helped the Sky to the best record in the East (24-10) and a franchise-first playoff berth. The first rookie to be the leading vote-getter in WNBA All-Star balloting, Delle Donne averaged double digits in scoring every month. She averaged 19.1 points during June and finished her rookie season by averaging 17.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in September, while connecting on all 26 of her free-throw attempts during the final month.

In her professional debut on May 27, she collected 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a 102-80 win against the Phoenix Mercury. Perhaps Delle Donne's best game came on Aug. 11, in a 94-86 overtime victory against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. In that game she produced a career-high 32 points, her first time hitting the 30-point plateau as a professional, and forced overtime with her fourth three-pointer of the game with 4.5 seconds left in regulation. In another notable performance, Delle Donne posted 18 points including the buzzer-beating game winner to give the Sky the 70-68 edge over the visiting Mercury on Sept. 11.

In honor of being named the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Delle Donne will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the complete results of the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year voting, followed by a list of previous winners:

2013 WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RESULTS

39 Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky

WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS

2013 Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky

2012 Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks

2011 Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx

2010 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun

2009 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream

2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks

2007 Armintie Price Chicago Sky

2006 Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx

2005 Temeka Johnson Washington Mystics

2004 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury

2003 Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock

2002 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever

2001 Jackie Stiles Portland Fire

2000 Betty Lennox Minnesota Lynx

1999 Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics

1998 Tracy Reid Charlotte Sting

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