{
  "id": 8042130,
  "title": "There’s an obvious pick for WNBA Sixth Player of the Year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/theres-an-obvious-pick-for-wnba-sixth-player-of-the-year",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:47:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/obvious-pick-wnba-sixth-player-144734049.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Janelle Salaun of the Golden State Valkyries has had an outstanding year off the bench and is the clear choice for Sixth Player of the Year. The 25-year-old points scorer is second in the WNBA in scoring and three-point shooting among bench players, averaging 12.9 points and shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc. Salaun's impact on the court is evident; she leads all bench players in plus-minus with at least 20 games and is the second-highest VPM among WNBA bench players. Despite being a bench player, Salaun has become a critical offensive boost for the Valkyries, as they have outscored opponents by 4.7 points per game with her on the floor. While other players like Sophie Cunningham, Cameron Brink, and Tiffany Hayes have impressive stats, Salaun's contributions are more significant to her team's success, making her the ideal Sixth Player of the Year.",
  "summary": "Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun has earned my vote for the award.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "SB Nation",
        "title": "There’s an obvious pick for WNBA Sixth Player of the Year",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/theres-an-obvious-pick-for-wnba-sixth-player-of-the-year-8042720",
        "published": "2026-09-17T14:47:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Why Paige Bueckers lands outside top 5 in latest WNBA player ranking",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/why-paige-bueckers-lands-outside-top-5-in-latest-wnba-player-ranking",
        "published": "2026-09-17T16:25:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}