WASHINGTON, DC – The Women’s National Basketball Association announced today that Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes has been named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team. This is Sykes’ fourth consecutive All-Defensive honor (2020-2023), and it marks her second All-Defensive First Team honor (2021, 2023). She joins Breanna Stewart as the only other player to earn All-Defensive team honors in each of the past four seasons.
“Our team and staff are proud of Slim being named First Team All-Defense this season,” said Head Coach Eric Thibault. “She took real pride in disrupting opponents for all 40 games and is incredibly deserving of the honor.”
Sykes becomes the fifth player in franchise history to earn All-Defensive honors and the fourth to earn First Team honors (Alana Beard; 2007, Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud; 2022). This is also the sixth straight season that a Mystics player has been named to an All-Defensive team, the longest streak in franchise history.
The 2023 season marked a career year for Sykes, averaging career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds (5.0), assists (3.8) and steals (2.1). The seven-year pro finished the season second in the WNBA in steals per game (2.1), the second consecutive year she has averaged at least two steals per game (2.0; 2022).
Sykes has totaled 258 steals over the last five seasons, the most in the WNBA. Her 84 steals in 2023 are the most in a season in franchise history, and the 12th most in a single season in WNBA history. This past season, she recorded six games with at least five steals, the most of any player in the league this season.