The Sixth Player of the Year award just might be one of the more impressive awards. Honoring a player who is ready to go off from the bench and give their team a much-needed push, sixth players are quite essential in any roster’s lineup, and hence so is the title. This year, the chief competition was between the LV Aces’ Tiffany Hayes, the New York Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich, and the Phoenix Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham. While it was certainly a silver lining for the ‘Sin City’ franchise, many questioned why Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey was not eligible.

The guard averaged 14.4 points with 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, a good stat considering she was the sixth player. But if the technicalities of the award are looked at, then she failed to even qualify for the award.

Marina Mabrey ineligible for the award

Mabrey played half a season for the Chicago Sky before she was acquired by the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, and the option to swap a first-round draft pick in 2025 and first-round draft picks in 2026 for the Sky. While the Sky looked for potential gain in the coming seasons, Mabrey started playing well for the Sun.

But what made her ineligible for the award was that Mabrey played 24 games for the Chicago Sky, starting in all 24 of them. Whereas for the Sun, she played 16 games, starting in just 3 of them. Thus, she took the court for a total of 40 games while starting in 27 of them. But to be eligible for the sixth player award, the athlete should come off the bench in more games than they start, a factor that did not fit Mabrey. Hence, she couldn’t take home the silverware.

Though the five main players for the Sun are Tyasha Harris, DiJonai Carrington, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Brionna Jones, it was Mabrey’s importance in the starting five for the Sky that took away a potential participation in the award. But while Mabrey could not take away this honor, how did Hayes claim the prize?

LV Aces star Tiffany Hayes takes home the sixth-player award

The LV Aces star Tiffany Hayes, after 11 successful seasons in the WNBA, announced her retirement in December last year. However, in May, she found herself at a crossroads when the Aces wanted to give her another chance at the title. While Chelsea Gray was missing from the team, Hayes, who had a decent scoring season with the Sun last year, was given the onus of the reserve player.

Plying her trade in 33 games, she started for the reigning champions in only 5 games and played the role of a sixth player efficiently, hitting 9.5 points with 2.8 rebounds per game. Noticing her balling skills, she won the competition against her opponents Leonie Fiebich and Sophie Cunningham and was named the Kia 2024 Sixth Player of the Year.

One major aspect to notice is that despite being a sixth player, she has, at times, taken her team to triumph. During Game 1 of Round 1 against the Seattle Storm, Hayes scored 20 points, which was a major reason for the Aces winning the game in a one-sided display. Not to mention, Hayes has been excellent on the defensive end for the 2x reigning champions, adding to both ends of the floor.

While Mabrey may not have won this honor, she has her eyes set on the real treasure with the Sun. The team will now host the reigning Commissioner Cup champions for Game 3 in Uncasville.