Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum has been named the 2021 Kia WNBA Woman of the Year, the WNBA announced today.

Plum has been selected as the league’s top reserve for the first time in her career.  This marks the third consecutive season in which a member of the Aces has earned the honor, with Las Vegas forward Dearica Hamby having won the award in 2019 and 2020.

Plum received 41 votes from a national panel of 49 sportswriters and broadcasters.  Hamby finished as the runner-up with five votes.  Dallas Wings guard Marina Mabrey received two votes and Connecticut Sun guard Natisha Hiedeman received one vote.  To be eligible for the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award, a player had to come off the bench in more games than she started.

Coming off the bench in every game in which she played this season, Plum recorded eight games of at least 20 points – the most in a single season by a reserve in WNBA history.  Her two games of at least 30 points tied a league record for players coming off the bench, set by Angel McCoughtry, then of the Atlanta Dream, in 2012.

In her fourth WNBA season, Plum averaged a career-high 14.8 points.  She also averaged 3.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 28.3 minutes in 26 games.  She ranked 16^th among all WNBA players in scoring and 14^th in assists, pacing reserves in both categories.  Her 663 minutes played as a reserve were second only to Hamby (710).  She also logged nine games with at least five assists.

Plum helped the Aces earn the second-best record in the league (24-8) and the No. 2 seed in the WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google.  Las Vegas, seeking to win its first WNBA championship, hosts the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of a Semifinals series tonight at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Las Vegas holds a 1-0 advantage in the series.

Plum capped the regular season as the Kia WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month for September, when she averaged 21.7 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals while helping the Aces to a 5-1 record.  She also earned the final Western Conference Player of the Week award of the regular season, averaging 24.3 points in Las Vegas’ 3-0 week.

Plum, 27, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, has spent her entire WNBA career with the Aces’ franchise after a standout collegiate career at the University of Washington.  She holds career averages of 10.1 points, 3.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 122 games (80 starts) in the WNBA.

In honor of being named the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, Plum will receive $5,150 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the voting results for the 2021 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award and a list of past recipients.

2021 WNBA SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS

WNBA SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR WINNERS

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About the WNBACurrently in its 25^th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women.  Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility.  Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball—and women’s sports overall—with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities, and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s new platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&T, the WNBA’s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and Nike, and the recent addition of Google. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.
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Contacts: Ron Howard, WNBA Communications, 212-407-8641, rhoward@nba.comSam Tager, WNBA Communications, 212-407-8358, stager@nba.com