NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2015 — Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky, who posted the fifth-highest scoring average in WNBA history this season, has been named the 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung, the league announced today. The third-year guard/forward earned 38 of 39 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Delle Donne won the MVP award for the first time, leading the Sky to a 21-13 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The second overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm averaged a league-high 23.4 points in 31 games, scoring at least 40 points twice, 30 points five times, and 20 points 21 times. She also shot a WNBA-best 95.0 percent ( 207-for-218 ) from the free throw line and finished third in the league in rebounding ( 8.4 rpg ) and blocked shots ( 2.06 bpg ).
A three-time All-Star selection and the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung, Delle Donne ( 385 points from voters ) is the first Sky player to capture the MVP award. Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung, received one first-place vote and finished second with 246 points. New York Liberty center Tina Charles, the 2012 MVP, was third with 181 points, followed by Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner ( 70 points ) and two-time MVP forward/center Candace Parker ( 57 points ) of the Los Angeles Sparks. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one for fifth.
Delle Donne began the season in historic fashion by averaging 28.7 points in June, a WNBA record for the first 10 games of a season ( Cappie Pondexter, now Delle Donne's teammate, held the previous mark of 25.7 points with the Mercury in 2008 ). Delle Donne's June highlights included a career-high 45 points against the Atlanta Dream on June 24, the sixth-best scoring performance in league history. She shot 19-for-19 from the free throw line in the game to set a WNBA record for most free throws made without a miss. On June 6, Delle Donne hit for 40 points against the Tulsa Shock. The former University of Delaware star is only the fourth player in league history to notch two 40-point games in a single season.
In addition to being named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month presented by Samsung for June, Delle Donne earned the conference's Player of the Week honor a league-best five times. She also recorded 10 double-doubles on the season, two shy of the league high shared by Parker and Jantel Lavender of the Sparks and Charles of the Liberty.
Delle Donne's prolific free throw shooting included a Sky-record 54 consecutive makes, and her overall performance at the foul line marks the sixth time in league history that a player has made more than 200 free throws in a season. Her 95.0 percentage was the seventh-best single-season mark in league history and the highest all time among players with more than 100 free throw attempts in a season.
This year marks the second season that Samsung, an official WNBA marketing partner, is serving as the presenting partner of the WNBA's highest individual honors. The WNBA Performance Awards presented by Samsung program includes the WNBA Most Valuable Player, WNBA Most Improved Player, WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, WNBA Rookie of the Year, and the WNBA Players of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards.
In honor of being named the WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung, Delle Donne will receive $15,000 and a specially designed trophy.
Below are the voting results for the 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung and a list of past recipients:
2015 WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG VOTING RESULTS
Points Player Team First Place Votes
385 Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky 38
246 Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx 1
181 Tina Charles New York Liberty
70 Brittney Griner Phoenix Mercury
57 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
29 DeWanna Bonner Phoenix Mercury
15 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
13 Epiphanny Prince New York Liberty
10 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
7 Courtney Vandersloot Chicago Sky
1 Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks
ALL-TIME WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG WINNERS
Year Player Team
2015 Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky
2014 Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx
2013 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2012 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun
2011 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2010 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2009 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2006 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2005 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2004 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2003 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2002 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2001 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2000 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
1999 Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
1998 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
1997 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. ( SEA ), is a recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA delivers a broad range of digital consumer electronics, IT and home appliance products. Samsung is the market leader for HDTVs in the U.S and America's fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more of the award-winning products you love with Samsung, please visitwww.samsung.com .
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Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Smart Home and Digital Health initiatives. We employ 319,000 people across 84 countries with annual sales of US $196 billion. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com .
About the WNBA
The WNBA — which features 12 teams and is the most successful women's professional team sports league in the world — is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. The league, which counts Boost Mobile as its leaguewide marquee partner, concluded its 19thregular season on Sept. 13, 2015.
Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women's health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on towww.wnba.com .
