Breanna Stewart won her first WNBA MVP award in a runaway vote that punctuated her ascent to her status as the league’s best player. The Seattle Storm forward won 29 of 33 first-place MVP votes in a survey of WNBA media and broadcasters.
Stewart was dominant in her third season in the league, netting 21.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Over the last three seasons, Stewart leads the WNBA in points (2,019) and 20-point games (58). Stewart shot 52.9 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from behind the arc and 83 percent from the free throw line. With Stewart leading the way, Seattle had a league-best 26-8 record and secured a first-round bye in the WNBA playoffs.
The vote breakdown was as follows:
1) Breanna Stewart (Seattle) (372 points) 33 of 39 first-place votes
2) Liz Cambage (Dallas) (231 points), 4 of 39 first-place votes
3) Elena Delle Donne (Washington) (206 points), 2 of 39 first-place votes
Stewart spoke to the media at the WNBA award ceremony on Sunday afternoon and spoke about the difficulties she had this season despite the team’s success.
Your 2018 #WNBA MVP: @breannastewart 🏆#WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/mUGQavHlh4
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 26, 2018
Stewart’s MVP award is a bit of a coronation for one of the most dominant athletes in sports. She led UCONN to four straight national titles and became the first player ever to win four Most Outstanding Player awards in the NCAA tournament. She was then the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft and won Rookie of the Year later that season.
Two years after her WNBA debut, Stewart is the league’s MVP and has the Storm in the Conference Finals, which started on Sunday evening. The WNBA MVP award has gone to 10 different players over the last decade, but Stewart’s dominance might change that in the coming years.
