Jantel Lavender of Sparks named WNBA's Sixth Woman of the Year
Los Angeles Sparks center Jantel Lavender has been named the 2016 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
Lavender, 27, is a six-year veteran who came off the bench to average 9.6 points in 19.4 minutes per game. Despite the limited action, Lavender ranked 40th in the league in scoring -- one of only two players in the WNBA to do so in fewer than 20 minutes per game. Lavender also shot a career-high 53.8 percent from the field in the regular season, the 10th-best mark in the WNBA.
Lavender received 26 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters. Dallas guard Aerial Powers and Chicago guard Allie Quigley, the Sixth Woman winner in each of the past two seasons, tied for second place with three votes apiece.
To be eligible for the award, players must come off the bench in more games than they started. Lavender, a Sparks starter in 2014 and '015, came off the bench in all 34 games this season.
Lavender, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, helped Los Angeles go 26-8 and earn the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs. Teammate Nneka Ogwumike was named MVP on Tuesday.
Los Angeles hosts Chicago in Game 1 of their semifinal series Wednesday (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET).
