The 2020 WNBA All-Defensive Team First and Second Teams were announced today on the heels of Game 5 of the Semifinals.
Alysha Clark (Seattle Storm) highlighted the first team as an unanimous selection for the honor receiving the maximum amount of votes in 11. Clark has now earned All-Defensive honors for the second straight season. Clark was highly regarded as one of the best defenders in the league leading her Seattle Storm squad to another WNBA Finals appearance.
Clark is joined on the First Team by Betnijah Laney (Atlanta Dream), Brianna Turner (Phoenix Mercury), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun) and Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream).
The WNBA All-Defensive Second Team consists Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Ariel Atkins (Washington Mystics), Brittney Sykes (Los Angeles Sparks) and A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces).
Voting for All-Defensive First and Second teams is decided by the 12 WNBA head coaches. They are not allowed to vote for their own players and must vote by position. Players receive five points for a First Team vote and three points for a Second Team vote.
A full breakdown of how the First and Second Team voting panned out here…
What About Parker?
It wouldn’t be the WNBA if we didn’t have some drama, right? Shortly after the WNBA All-Defensive Teams were announced, #WNBATwitter responded with questions about Candace Parker… the 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year…who was nowhere to be found.
The best way to explain this? Well the Defensive Player of the Year honor is voted and decided on by a panel of 47 national media and broadcast members. The All-Defensive Teams are decided on by the WNBA coaches and must be voted on by position.
Media vs. Coaches
Strange? Absolutely. But it does go to show you the differences in which groups of people view these awards. Regardless, Candace Parker doesn’t seem to be too concerned with it.
