Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas sets several WNBA records as the regular season comes to an end, and was named AP All League First Team. We’re taking a look at her season stats, along with coach Stephanie White who was named Coach of the Year.
The WNBA's season-long accolades are beginning to roll in, and the Connecticut Sun are well-represented.
Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was a unanimous selection to the Associated Press' All League First Team on Tuesday, while Sun head coach Stephanie White was named the AP's Coach of the Year.
Both honors were well-deserved, as Thomas has a legitimate case for the 2023 WNBA MVP award while White guided the Sun to the league's third-best record (27-13) in her first year as head coach despite losing two-time All-Star Brionna Jones to an early-season injury.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Here's a look at notable accolades for both Thomas and White:
Alyssa Thomas
It's not an overstatement to say Thomas had one of the best all-around seasons in WNBA history.
The 31-year-old led the league in rebounds per game (9.9), set a WNBA record for the most assists in a single season (316) and ranked third in the league in steals per game (1.3) while tying a career-high with 15.5 points per game.
Her six triple-doubles in 2023 shattered the previous record of most triple-doubles in a season (two), and she now has the most career triple-doubles in league history (eight) by a wide margin.
Thomas set multiple Sun franchise records as well and is one of three clear favorites for WNBA MVP along with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
MORE SUN COVERAGE
Stephanie White
White earned AP Coach of the Year honors in her first season with the Sun after a previous stint as Vanderbilt's head coach. She's just the second former WNBA player to win AP Coach of the Year -- joining the Atlanta Dream's Tanisha Wright (2022) -- and is the second coach in Connecticut history to win the award after Curt Miller won it twice (2017 and 2021).
The Sun's work isn't done yet; the team enters the WNBA playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will be expected to defeat the No. 6 Minnesota Lynx in a three-game series that begins Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
If Connecticut makes another deep run after reaching the WNBA Finals in 2022, expect Thomas and White to play key roles.
