WNBA Players Of Week
July 27, 2009 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
NEW YORK, July 27, 2009 - Asjha Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm were named the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for regular season games played Monday, July 20 through Sunday, July 26.
Jones wins the fourth Player of the Week award of her career and her first this season after recording a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the Sun's win over the Sacramento Monarchs. Jones, a 2009 WNBA All-Star reserve, was the second-leading scorer this week and first among Eastern Conference players.
Her 28 points marked a season high and the 14th time in 15 games this season that Jones has scored in double figures. She scored 22 of her points in the second half and tied a career high with 13 field goals made. Jones helped the Sun stretch their winning streak to four games, a league-best among active streaks.
Playing on her home court, Jones participated in the second All-Star Game of her career, scoring six points and collecting six rebounds. She was a member of the 2008 All-WNBA Second Team.
Bird earns her second career Player of the Week award and first this season after a week in which she scored 23 points, handed out five assists and collected five rebounds in the Storm's triple-overtime win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Bird was second in the Western Conference in scoring and tied for third in assists.
Bird scored nine of her season-high 23 points in the third overtime to push Seattle past Los Angeles. Seven of her eight field goals in the game were three-pointers. Her seven threes set a Storm single-game franchise record and tied the WNBA season high (Diana Taurasi, June 17 vs. Minnesota). In the game, Bird passed Dawn Staley (1,337) and Teresa Weatherspoon (1,338) as she moved into third place in WNBA history in assists. In her career-high 49 minutes played against the Sparks, Bird did not commit a single turnover.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Bird is six-time All-Star, having been voted a starter each year. She is a five-time All-WNBA honoree, including four selections to the All-WNBA First Team. She is the Storm's all-time leader in assists and recently became the third player in WNBA history to record 3,000 career points and 1,000 career assists. Bird scored 16 points and set an All-Star Game record with 10 assists in Saturday's midseason showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week were Atlanta's Ivory Latta, Los Angeles' Tina Thompson, Minnesota's Nicky Anosike, Phoenix's Diana Taurasi, Sacramento's Nicole Powell, San Antonio's
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