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Fast Facts:
- This drop will feature 18 of the very best Moments from the WNBA Playoffs & Finals
- Beyond the Legendary Moment in every pack, collectors will also receive 2 Rare WNBA Run It Back Moments, and 4 Common WNBA: Best of 2021 Moments.
- The Drop starts today at 11am PDT for the Priority Queue and 1pm PDT for the General Queue
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
The Aces entered the WNBA Playoffs as the odds-on championship, and though they came up heartbreakingly-short, Year Four, all things considered, was a successful one for A’ja Wilson. She opened her summer by becoming arguably the premier face on Team USA’s gold medal-winning national team, averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game. Then, as only premier post players can do, she pivoted effortlessly into the WNBA season, guiding Las Vegas to the No. 2 record. She sacrificed shots and points (19.0) to benefit the Aces’ historically-deep rotation, but atoned for it with a career year in rebounds (9.3) and assists (3.1). Through her quick trigger release, face-up accuracy, and prescient defensive rotations, she was one of six players to earn 100+ votes in a competitive Most Valuable Player award race, and at just 24-years-old, will be in contention for more awards and statues in the coming years.
Candace Parker, Chicago Sky
It’s been 13 years since Candace Parker took the WNBA stratosphere by storm, becoming the only player in league history to win a Most Valuable Player and a Rookie of the Year simultaneously. Though, one could argue that the 35-year-old one-upped herself through a transcendent 2021 year. In an eight-month span, Parker announced a Chicago homecoming, became the first WNBA player to grace the cover of NBA 2K, and then capped it by helping lead the Sky to a WNBA championship. Versatile on-court and off, Parker’s game remains without weakness. Chicago reaped the benefits of her all-around offensive game — she’s a 6-foot-4, point guard-forward-center, a floor-stretcher, and a creator for others in the post — and followed her lead to defensive excellence. After five straight bottom-half finishes in defensive rating before Parker’s arrival, Chicago ranked No. 1 across this year’s Playoffs.
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
To celebrate their 25th season, the WNBA put the ever-controversial “Who is the greatest player of all-time” to a vote, and were ultimately left with one definitive answer: Diana Taurasi. Pick a statistic — even a weird one such as all-time blocks — and Taurasi’s name is sure to pop up (she’s No. 21 all-time as a 6-foot guard, for those curious). But even as injuries have piled up, the 39-year-old still manages to remind the WNBA world of her capabilities, particularly when Phoenix needs them most. Through gritted teeth, Taurasi helped guide Phoenix to the WNBA Finals, fighting through sternum bruises, foot fractures, and sprained ankles. Despite that, she routinely offered daggers to opposing teams’ hearts, averaging 17.6 points per game during this past postseason run. Heading into her 18th season, she remains the last player defenses (and officials) want to see in a must-win matchup.
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun
Few experts put belief in this Connecticut Sun team, following Alyssa Thomas’ Achilles tear and the contractual issues it led them to. Little did most know, Jonquel Jones was poised to provide one of the great all-around seasons in WNBA history. Jones produced career-highs in points (19.4), rebounds (11.2), assists (2.8), on 52-36-80 percentage splits, and still found time to become one of just seven players to record 30 blocks and steals. She has a limitless, silky-smooth repertoire that four-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant says is reminiscent of his own game. Through a highlight-heavy dribble pull-up and a versatile back-to-basket game, Jones helped push Connecticut to the WNBA’s top regular season record despite their slow, bleed-the-clock pace of play. Rightfully, she was named as the league’s Most Valuable Player and earned a First-Team All-Defensive selection for her efforts.
Kahleah Copper, Chicago Sky
Talk about watching a story come full circle; in 2020, Chicago Sky head coach James Wade joined Winsidr’s Film Room, and ended up discussing the flack he received for prioritizing keeping Kahleah Copper around. One calendar year later, she became the WNBA’s Finals MVP. For those watching closely, the writing had always been on the wall. She upped her field goal percentage by a whopping 10 points later that year, and then remained steady, earning her first-ever All-Star nod in 2021. Copper’s game is as versatile as it is fierce, and, as she notes in her recent Players Tribune article, she played a key role in bringing that same fire to the rest of the team. She routinely puts defenders in a freeze frame with a lightning-quick first step and relentless attacking of the offensive glass and now, with an increasingly-reliable 3-point shot, the, well, Sky is the limit for her all-around game.
Sue Bird, Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm’s upcoming offseason has a chance to be potentially franchise-altering, with questions about whether or not Sue Bird has played her last game. To the casual fan, though, it’d have been difficult imagining Bird was a 40-year-old with nearly 20,000 WNBA minutes on her ledger. In the middle of the 2021 season, Bird partook in the Olympic experience one more time, earning her fifth gold medal, and then proceeded to average double-digit points (10.0) for the 17th time in her 18-year career. She remains a premier floor spacer, passer, and pioneer of the point guard position in 2021, and earned her 12th All-Star selection this summer to show for it. Her 3,000th assist quickly became a must-have collectible among the NBA Top Shot world in August, something that’s sure to grow in prestige as Bird joins the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, likely in the very near future.
