WNBA Announces All-Rookie Team
The WNBA has revealed its six-member All-Rookie team, featuring Olivia Miles from the Minnesota Lynx, Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings, Flau’jae Johnson from the Seattle Storm, Sydney Taylor representing the Chicago Sky, Pauline Astier of the New York Liberty, and Kiki Rice from the Toronto Tempo. Typically, just five players are recognized, but Rice and Astier tied in media votes, leading to this unique expansion.
Azzi Fudd, who was the top pick in the draft, participated in 30 regular-season games for Dallas until a knee injury forced her to sit out the remainder of the season. During her time on the court, she averaged 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Fudd’s performance placed her fifth in scoring, first in steals, second in blocks, third in three-point percentage at .397, and she led in three-pointers made per game with an average of 2.1.
Olivia Miles, the third overall pick, had a standout season, averaging 19.8 points, 6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. She not only guided the Minnesota Lynx to the league’s best record but also earned WNBA Rookie of the Month honors throughout the season. Additionally, Miles was acknowledged as the Western Conference Player of the Week twice and broke numerous records, including the most games by a rookie scoring at least 20 points and achieving a shooting split of 50/40/90% six times.
Kiki Rice, selected sixth in the draft, averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.8 steals. She stood out among rookies in scoring, with a shooting efficiency of 47.2% from the field, 35.1% from beyond the arc, and an impressive 86.9% from the free-throw line.
Flau’jae Johnson, the eighth pick, made her presence felt right away with the Seattle Storm, starting all 42 games she played and putting up 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. She notably became the first player in WNBA history to surpass 600 points, 200 rebounds, 100 assists, 50 steals, and 28 blocks in her rookie season.
Despite going undrafted, Sydney Taylor made significant waves, averaging 13.6 points and 2.0 assists over 37 games. She set a record as the WNBA’s leading undrafted rookie scorer and also topped the league with 71 three-pointers made, finishing third among all rookies in scoring.
Pauline Astier, another undrafted player, averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. She concluded the season with a .635 true shooting percentage, the highest ever for a rookie in WNBA history with at least 200 field-goal attempts. Astier also achieved a remarkable 54.6 percent field-goal percentage, the best recorded by a rookie guard in either the WNBA or NBA for players with 250 attempts.
Beyond these six standout rookies, several others also impressed this season, including Laura Juskaite from the Toronto Tempo, Lauren Betts of the Washington Mystics, Awa Fam representing the Seattle Storm, and more.
