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Hall of Famer Rules Out Bigwigs A?ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart to Cherry-Pick WNBA?s ?Point God? as the No. 1 Favorite

Sep 23, 2023 | 9:05 AM EDT

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With their steady dominance of the league over the past few years, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson unquestionably engraved their names in the annals of WNBA history. It comes as no surprise that they are consistent WNBA MVP award contenders given their outrageous on-court talent. Former first-round picks in their respective drafts, both players have been instrumental in propelling their clubs to improbable success. With an incredible record of 34-6, A’ja Wilson, wearing the Las Vegas Aces uniform, has led her team to the top of the WNBA standings.

On the other hand, Breanna Stewart has been an outstanding model of excellence for the New York Liberty. They are the second-best club in the league with a 32-8 record, and Stewart has made nothing short of extraordinary contributions. However, despite the contributions of these two basketball superstars, a WNBA Hall of Famer ruled them out and instead cherry-picked WNBA’s ‘Point God’ as her favorite.

A former HOF makes her pick

Ticha Penicheiro, a Portuguese native who was born in Figueira da Foz, had a passion for basketball at a young age. She developed her abilities on the basketball courts in her hometown, planning to achieve basketball success in the future. One of the pivotal episodes of Penicheiro’s basketball journey took place at Norfolk, Virginia’s Old Dominion University. While representing the Lady Monarchs, she competed against some of Pat Summitt’s illustrious Tennessee teams.

However, Ticha Penicheiro made her imprint most prominently in the WNBA’s formative years. She wowed spectators and intimidated rivals with her passing, ball-handling and defensive skills during the league’s early years. Penicheiro excelled as a point guard and became a local hero in Sacramento, being a key player of the Sacramento Monarchs with her ability to make precise passes at the right time.

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Ticha Penicheiro accumulated a remarkable collection of honors during the course of her illustrious WNBA career, which lasted from 1998 to 2012. She was a four-time WNBA All-Star as well as the league’s leader in steals twice and assists once. Furthermore, she was also inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Following her career in the league, Penicheiro now works as a sports agent.?With the WNBA playoffs in full heat, Penicheiro recently made her favorite pick. And it’s not the MVP frontrunners A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Instead, she cherry-picked Chelsea Gray.

Penicheiro made her pick during a recent episode of the podcast ‘Knuckleheads’. The former WNBA player revealed, “I would say, Chelsea Gray. I mean we’re in Vegas too you know so yeah. I mean she’s special. She’s special just because she can pass,?she makes her teammates better but if it’s time to take over she can do that as well.”

She gave her love to Wilson and Stewart who often dominate the court. Penicheiro said, “You know so obviously I mean you have A’ja Wilson, you have Brianna Stewart there (at) 6’5… but they can do everything. Shoot threes you know, put it on the floor. Like I said that true post player it’s kind of going away now. It’s like the NBA. You have people being so more versatile and everybody wants to face the basket and dribble and pass, and they can do everything, so.” [sic]

However, she remains steadfast in her choice, “But yeah I mean number one I would say Chelsea Gray for sure.”

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Meanwhile, Ticha Penicheiro’s favorite girl will go on to play the Dallas Wings.

The Las Vegas Aces are in the Semifinals

The Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces will square off in a highly anticipated showdown in the second round of the WNBA playoffs. The Wings recently achieved a historic victory by winning their first postseason series since moving to Arlington. The Las Vegas Aces, who had a historically good regular season, will present the Wings with a difficult challenge as a reward.

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The Aces’ season was astounding with the numbers they achieved. They placed third in league history with a net rating of +15.7 at the end of the regular season. They lie only behind the storied Houston Comets teams from 1998 and 2000. In addition, the Aces had the best offensive rating in WNBA history with 111.5 points scored for every 100 possessions.

Despite the Aces’ evident offensive strength, their defense is also a strength. With just 95.8 points allowed per 100 possessions this season, they were the league leaders in defense. The Aces are the first team to do so since the 2017 Lynx, who also had the league’s top offense and defense. This exceptional tandem has only happened six other times.

Watch This Story:?$170,000,000-Worth Dwyane Wade Expects to Enjoy Investment in WNBA Team More Than in NBA?s Utah Jazz

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Dallas is fully aware of the significant battle that lies ahead after playing the Aces four times during the regular season. Vegas won three of those encounters. However, the Aces have experienced some adjustments since their first confrontation. The team’s center is now Kiah Stokes as a result of Candace Parker’s injury absence.

The Wings’ second-round series against the Las Vegas Aces is set to begin on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The basketball community will be keeping a close eye on these two teams as they compete to get to the WNBA Finals.