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3 Pac-12 women's basketball alumnae named to 2022 All-WNBA Team

Sep 16, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO - Washington's Kelsey Plum (first team), Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (second team) and Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike (second team) were three of 10 players voted to the 2022 All-WNBA Team, the league announced Thursday. 

The Pac-12's three All-WNBA Team members are tied with the SEC for most among all conferences and the two leagues are the only ones with multiple selections. It's the first time the Pac-12 has had a trio voted to the All-WNBA Team since 2001, when USC's Lisa Leslie and UCLA's Natalie Williams were on the first team and the Trojans' Tina Thompson on the second team. The Conference had at least three All-WNBA picks in the first five years of the league (1997-2001) and had four selections in both 1999 and 2000 (Leslie, Thompson, Williams and USC's Cynthia Cooper).

Making her All-WNBA debut, Plum is the first from the Pac-12 to earn All-WNBA first-team accolades since Ogwumike in 2016. The Las Vegas Aces guard finished third in voting for the Kia WNBA MVP Award after averaging career highs of 20.2 points (second in the WNBA) and 5.1 assists (ninth). Plum also led the league in 3-pointers (113) and was fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (42.0). 

Also a first-time All-WNBA selection for the New York Liberty, Ionescu became the first player in league history to record at least 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a season. The 5-11 guard ranked eighth in the WNBA in scoring average (17.4), 12th in rebounding (7.1) and third in assists (6.3). Ionescu, 24, became the youngest player to record a triple-double (June 12 vs. Chicago) and the first player to post a triple-double with at least 30 points (July 6 vs. Las Vegas).

In her 11th WNBA season, Ogwumike averaged 18.1 points (seventh in the WNBA), 6.6 rebounds (15th) and 1.68 steals (third) for the Los Angeles Sparks. The 2016 Kia WNBA MVP also finished seventh in the league in field goal percentage (54.4). Her fifth All-WNBA selection (2019, 2017, 2016, 2014) moves her past Cooper (four) for the third-most in Pac-12 Conference history behind Leslie (12) and Thompson (eight).

Plum, Ionescu and Ogwumike were also voted starters for the 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game in July, the first time since 2003 the Pac-12 had a trio voted to start in the WNBA's midseason showcase.

Voting for the All-WNBA Team was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season. For the first time, players were selected without regard for position. Players received five points for each first-team vote and three points for each second-team vote.