It has concluded!!!

The Notinhalloffame WNBA Cup has concluded, and it should surprise nobody that superstar A’Ja Wilson has won it all!

Here is how it worked!

In every WNBA regular-season game, we award descending points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five players.  At the end of the season, the player with the most points will be awarded the Notinhalloffame WNBA Cup. 

However, the winning player must accept their award in person in the Emerald City of Seattle, where the official mascot of Notinhalloffame will give it, Winnie the Mini Daschund.

Here are the final standings:

1. A’Ja Wilson, Center, Las Vegas Aces, 160 Cup Points:  40 Games, 4.00 Cup Points per Game, 23.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 33.4 PER, 9.5 WS. 

What a talent!

Wilson is a three-time league MVP, and after this season, could be in a league of her own with a fourth MVP, making her the first WNBA player ever to do so.  The two-time WNBA Champion can do it all, winning her second Scoring Title, fifth Blocks Titles, and for the third season in a row, topped the field in PER (33.4).  She was also second in Rebounds per Game (10.2) and fifth in Steals per Game (1.6).  Who else is capable of this?

When it is all said and done, Wilson could go down as the GOAT of women’s basketball.

2. Napheesa Collier, Forward, Minnesota Lynx, 133 Cup Points:  33 Games, 4.03 Cup Points per Game, 22.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 30.2 PER, 8.3 WS. 

Napheesa Collier was the first half MVP and looked to have the MVP (and the NIHOF Cup) locked up, but a nagging ankle injury kept her out of a handful of games.  Nevertheless, this was a record-breaking career for Collier, who became the second WNBA player to join the .500/.400/.900 club by shooting 53.1% from the floor, 40.3% from behind the arc, and 90.6% from the charity stripe. 

This year’s All-Star Game MVP was second in Points per Game and PER, and was also fourth in Steals per Game and fifth in Blocks per Game.

3. Alyssa Thomas, Forward, Phoenix Mercury, 130 Cup Points:  39 Games, 3.33 Cup Points per Game, 15.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 9.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 25.2 PER, 6.9 WS.

After 11 seasons in Connecticut, Alyssa Thomas’s first season in Phoenix was a success, with the Forward adding her fourth straight (sixth overall) All-Star Game.  For the first time in her career, Thomas led the WNBA in Assists per Game (9.2), while placing third in Rebounds per Game and PER.  This is a player who is aging like wine!

4. Dearica Hamby, Forward, Los Angeles Sparks, 123 Cup Points:  44 Games, 2.80 Cup Points per Game, 18.4, PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 23.8 PER, 5.6 WS.

Hamby is a former two-time Sixth Woman of the Year and arguably had her best season to date with a career-high 23.2 PER, marking the first time she exceeded 20 in that advanced stat.  Hamby was second in Field Goal Percentage (.572), and notably, she is the highest-ranked player who was not a WNBA All-Star. 

5. Nneka Ogwumike, Forward, Seattle Storm, 120 Cup Points:  44 Games, 2.72 Cup Points Per Game, 18.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 21.8 PER, 5.7 WS. 

At 35 years old, Ogwumike keeps adding to her Hall of Fame resume.  This season, she added her tenth All-Star Game with her 18.3 PPG, good enough for ninth overall in the league.  Notably, she ends the season as second overall in Win Shares, having passed Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, and Lauren Jackson this year.

6. Allisha Gray, Guard, Atlanta Dream, 106 Cup Points:  42 Games, 2.52 Cup Points per Game, 18.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 19.7 PER, 7.7 WS. 

This has been the best season of Gray’s career with career-highs in the major stat categories (PPG, RPG, APG), and she was a top performer on a surging Atlanta squad.   At 30, she completed her third regular season with the Dream and has been an All-Star in all of them.

7. Aliyah Boston, Center-Forward, Indiana Fever, 103 Cup Points:  44 Games, 2.34 Cup Points per Game, 15.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 22.8 PER, 7.1 WS. 

A model of consistency in her three years in the league, Boston finished sixth this season in Rebounds per Game and PER, and has gone three-for-three in All-Star appearances.   With her high basketball IQ and dominant post game, Boston should be a star through the rest of the decade.

8. Jackie Young, Guard, Las Vegas Aces, 103 Cup Points:  44 Games, 2.34 Cup Points Per Game, 16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 22.2 PER, 6.5 WS. 

Young finished eighth in PER this year and is in a four-year streak of All-Star Selections.

9. Breanna Stewart, Forward, New York Liberty, 96 Cup Points:  31 Games, 3.10 Cup Points Per Game, 18.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 20.4 PER, 3.9 WS. 

The top gun for the defending champions missed some time this year with a knee issue, but when Stewart was healthy, she was the same start she has always been over the last ten years.  Stewart finished fifth in PER.

10. Kelsey Mitchell, Guard, Indiana Fever, 93 Cup Points: 44 Games, 2.11 Cup Points per Game, 20.2, PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 19.9 PER, 5.6 WS. 

Mitchell secured her third straight season with an All-Star, and did so with her career-high PPG year, which was good enough for eighth this year.  The sharpshooter also led the W for the first time in Three-Point Field Goals (111). 

129 players have received at least one point.  In the upcoming weeks, we will present the final standings with every WNBA player who obtained at least one Cup Point.

Thank you for your support and A’Ja.come…get your trophy!

Welcome back to the WNBA Cup!

In every WNBA regular-season game, we award descending points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five players.  At the end of the season, the player with the most points will be awarded the Notinhalloffame WNBA Cup. 

However, the winning player must accept their award in person in the Emerald City of Seattle.

Here is the current top ten as of games concluded on August 13:

1. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx, 106 Cup Points:  26 Games, 4.08 Cup Points per Game, 23.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 31.1 PER, 7.0 WS.  (#1 Last Time)

2. A’Ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, 105 Cup Points:  29 Games, 3.62 Cup Points per Game, 22.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.7 SPG, 2.1 BPG, 31.6 PER, 5.8 WS.  (#4 Last Time)

3. Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury, 95 Cup Points:  26 Games, 3.65 Cup Points per Game, 16.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 9.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 26.2 PER, 4.9 WS. (#5 Last Time)

4. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream, 90 Cup Points:  32 Games, 2.81 Cup Points per Game, 19.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 20.2 PER, 6.1 WS. (#6 Last Time)

5. Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm, 89 Cup Points:  33 Games, 2.70 Cup Points Per Game, 18.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 22.3 PER, 4.4 WS. (#3 Last Time)

6. Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks, 84 Cup Points, 32 Games, 2.62 Cup Points per Game, 17.7, PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 22.9 PER, 3.9 WS. (#6 Last Week)

7. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever, 74 Cup Points:  33 Games, 2.24 Cup Points per Game, 15.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 22.8 PER, 5.5 WS. (#9 Last Week)

8. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty, 73 Cup Points:  24 Games, 3.04 Cup Points Per Game, 18.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 23.0 PER, 3.6 WS.  (#2 Last Time)

9. Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty, 73 Cup Points:  32 Games, 2.28 Cup Points Per Game, 19.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 21.4 PER, 3.9 WS. (Not in the Top Ten Last Week)

10. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Pacers, 68 Cup Points: 33 Games, 2.06 Cup Points per Game, 20.0, PPG, 2.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 20.1 PER, 4.1 WS. (Not in the Top Ten Last Time)

Chicago’s Angel Reese and Phoenix’s Satou Sabally fell out of the top ten.

At present, 122 players have received at least one point, up from 112 last week.

Our next update will be up next Friday.