Mercury stars Griner, Diggins-Smith highlight WNBA 1st team selections

Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith were among the five players selected Friday to the All-WNBA first team for the 2021 season.

Jonquel Jones from the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm teammates Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd were also included.

Recent WNBA MVP honoree Jones was the only unanimous decision, earning a first-team nod on all 49 ballots voted on by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. This is Jones' maiden inclusion on the first team following two previous appearances on the second team.

For WNBA finalists Griner and Diggins-Smith, getting named to an All-WNBA team has become a habit of sorts. This is Griner's sixth selection and Diggins-Smith's fifth. Former WNBA MVP Stewart has made an All-WNBA team on four occasions, with her, Griner, and Diggins-Smith all celebrating a third selection to the first team.

The league also announced the All-WNBA second team on Friday, featuring A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Tina Charles (Washington Mystics), and Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky).