SHAKIRA AUSTIN & SONIA CITRON NAMED TO 2026 WNBA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMS

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October 15, 2026

SHAKIRA AUSTIN & SONIA CITRON NAMED TO 2026 WNBA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The WNBA announced today that Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin and Sonia Citron have been named to the 2026 WNBA All-Defensive First and Second Team, respectively. These are the first All-Defensive honors of Austin and Citron’s careers.

In her fifth WNBA season, Austin was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Aug. 11) and Associated Press Player of the Week (Aug. 3 and Aug. 11). She averaged career-highs of 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Austin was one of three players to average at least nine rebounds and one block during the 2026 campaign (A’ja Wilson, Jonquel Jones). She ranked second league-wide in defensive rebounds per game (7.6) and fourth in total rebounds per game. Austin blocked 53 shots in 2026, which ranked eighth in the league and brought her career total to 154 blocks, fourth most in franchise history.

During the 2026 campaign, Austin grabbed 408 total rebounds and 327 defensive rebounds, ranking third and second in the league respectively, and helped Washington outrebound opponents in 40 games this season, a WNBA single-season record. Additionally, Austin ranked first in both defensive rating (101.1) and defensive win shares (0.163) among centers that averaged 25.0+ minutes per game (per WNBA Stats).

Throughout her standout season, Austin set multiple franchise and WNBA records, including:

  • Franchise single-season record in total rebounds (408 total rebounds) and defensive rebounds (327 defensive rebounds).
  • Finished with 53 blocks, the second-highest single-season block total in franchise history (2001 Vicky Bullett: 58 blocks).
  • Became the first Mystics player to record a 300+ defensive rebound/50+ block/30+ steal season and the third player in WNBA history to do so, joining A’ja Wilson (2024, 2025, 2026) and Breanna Stewart (2023).
  • Grabbed 37.6% of Washington’s defensive rebounds, a mark that led all WNBA centers averaging 25.0+ minutes per game in 2026.
  • Climbed Washington’s all-time records in defensive rebounds (fifth, 846 defensive boards) and total rebounds (sixth, 1,097 total boards).
  • Held opponents to a league-best 51.0% FG on 197 attempts as the closest defender in the restricted area this season, per Second Spectrum.

Citron’s sophomore season saw her earn her second consecutive All-Star placement, WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (June 23) and Associated Press Player of the Week (June 22) while totaling 151 rebounds, 47 steals, and 25 blocks in 40 appearances. She ranked fourth in defensive win shares (0.174) among guards that averaged 30.0+ minutes per game this year, per WNBA Stats. Citron is the eighth all-time WNBA player aged 22 or younger to earn an All-Defense nod and is the first 22-year-old Mystics player to garner this notice since Ariel Atkins (2019).

Citron’s notable 2026 campaign included accolades such as:

  • Ranked third in defensive rating (101.7) among guards that averaged 30.0+ minutes per game.
  • Accounted for 20.3% of Washington’s blocks, the third highest mark among guards averaging at least 30.0 minutes per game.
  • Became the first guard in Mystics history to record a 150+ rebound/45+ steal/25+ block season and is the 11th all-time WNBA guard to have such a year.
  • Held opposing players to just 37.0% FG on 487 attempts as the closest defender, the best mark in the WNBA among players who defended at least 125 shots, per Second Spectrum.

Austin becomes the fifth player in franchise history to be named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team, joining Alana Beard (2007), Ariel Atkins (2022), Natasha Cloud (2022), and Brittney Sykes (2023). Citron is the fifth all-time Mystics player to earn All-Defensive Second Team honors, joining Beard (2005, 2006, 2009), Lindsey Harding (2010), Atkins (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), and Cloud (2019). They are the seventh and eighth players in franchise history to be named to an All-Defensive Team. This is the third time that multiple Washington players have earned All-Defensive awards (2022 and 2019: Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud).

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