Jackson Named All-WNBA First Team
September 1, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release
SEATTLE - Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson has been named to the All-WNBA First Team, the WNBA announced today. The selection is the fourth of Jackson's career and gives her the distinction of being the only player in the league to receive All-WNBA First Team honors in each of the last four seasons. Jackson also joins teammate Sue Bird and WNBA originals Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper as the only players in league history to receive the honor in four consecutive seasons.
Jackson posted career highs this season in field-goal percentage (.535, second in WNBA) and free-throw percentage (.899, fourth in WNBA) and also ranked among the league's top-10 in efficiency rating (23.7), blocks (1.70 bpg), scoring (19.4 ppg), rebounding (7.6 rpg), and double-doubles (eight). She scored a career-high and franchise-record 35 points at Phoenix on May 25 and her 19 points vs. Chicago on June 7 moved her past the 3,000-point mark for her career, making her the youngest player (25 years, 33 days old) and the fastest player (162 career games) in league history to reach the milestone.
Voting for the All-WNBA First Team and Second Team was conducted by a panel of national sportswriters and broadcasters who selected players by position. First Team votes received five points while Second Team votes received three.
Leslie led all vote-getters with 278 total points, narrowly edging out Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (276), who joins the First Team for the second time in her career. The Indiana Fever's Tamika Catchings, a three-time First Team selection, occupies the remaining forward spot, while Connecticut Sun guard Katie Douglas rounds out the backcourt as she grabs her first All-WNBA honor.
The 2006 All-WNBA Second Team is led by Detroit Shock center Cheryl Ford. She is joined by the Connecticut Sun's Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Houston Comets' Sheryl Swoopes at the forward positions, and the Washington Mystics' Alana Beard and Minnesota Lynx' Seimone Augustus, the 2006 WNBA Rookie of the Year, in the guard spots.
Below are the complete results of the 2006 ALL-WNBA Team voting:
2006 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM
Player Team Position Points
Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks Center 278
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury Guard 276
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever Forward 249
Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm Forward 246
Katie Douglas Connecticut Sun Guard 232
2006 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM
Player Team Position Points
Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock Center 191
Alana Beard Washington Mystics Guard 166
Taj McWilliams-Franklin Connecticut Sun Forward 151
Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx Guard 143
Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets Forward 92
The Seattle Sonics & Storm organization manages the Puget Sound region's professional basketball franchises - the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. The organization oversees all sales, marketing, finance, public relations and basketball operations for the teams. The Basketball Club of Seattle LLC owns both teams.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 1, 2006
- Lynx Guard Seimone Augustus Named to All-WNBA Second Team - Minnesota Lynx
- Monarchs to announce support for new arena - Sacramento Monarchs
- Los Angeles' Lisa Leslie, New York's Becky Hammon, and Phoenix's Diana Taurasi WNBA's Most Popular - WNBA
- Jackson Named All-WNBA First Team - Seattle Storm
- 2006 All-WNBA First and Second Teams announced - WNBA
- Sulka Steps Down as Mercury GM - Phoenix Mercury
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