This is the fourth consecutive season where she has earned the honor. The Washington Mystics have also had a player make this team for six consecutive seasons.
On Friday, the WNBA announced their All-Defensive teams. And for the second consecutive season, the Washington Mystics have a player who made the team with guard Brittney Sykes making the first team.
Your 2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team ⬇️@_ajawilson22 @athomas_25 @BrittBundlez @breannastewart @jordin_canada #MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/EzP7oL7np7
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 22, 2023
Sykes joins New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart who have been on each of the last four All-WNBA Defensive teams.
In a statement, head coach Eric Thibault said the following:
Our team and staff are proud of Slim being named First Team All-Defense this season. She took real pride in disrupting opponents for all 40 games and is incredibly deserving of the honor.
Sykes averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 2023. While she didn’t make the All-Star team, Sykes was the Mystics’ All-Star by being Washington’s most consistent player all season long.
I’m very happy to see that Sykes earned this honor. She also earned one vote in the race for Most Improved Player, though she lost to Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally for that award.
With Sykes making the All-Defensive team this season, this is the sixth consecutive season where a Mystics player has made the team, a franchise record.
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