WNBA News: Jasmine Thomas and Candace Parker named Player of the Week

On Wednesday afternoon, the leagued named Jasmine Thomas and Candace Parker its WNBA Players of the Week for the week of June 26.

Thomas continues the Connecticut Sun’s hot streak of Player of the Week awards, becoming the team’s third straight winner. The past two Eastern Conference winners are teammates Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas, who have helped lead Connecticut to a 8-7 record and 2-1 over the past week.

Naming this week’s Eastern Conference winner seems pretty simple when taking a look at Thomas’s stats. The veteran guard scored 23.3 points per game on 52 percent shooting last week while leading the Suns to two wins. She also chipped in four assists per game, proving a capable ringleader for a rising Connecticut squad.

Across the country, Parker notched her 20th Player of the Week award for her performance leading the Los Angeles Sparks to a 3-0 week. The 10-year vet put the team on her back for three monstrous all-around performances. Altogether, Parker tallied 52 points, 31 rebounds, 7 blocks and 4 steals last week. Even for a two-time MVP and WNBA legend, Parker’s line last week was remarkable.

Parker and her Sparks will put their success to the test tomorrow night in Minneapolis when they challenge their 2016 Finals opponent for the first time this season. It will be a great test at the perfect time for the red-hot Sparks.

Next: The Summitt Western Conference All-Star picks

The Sun hope to ride their three-way individual excellence to a better record going forward, beginning with a matchup against the San Antonio Stars tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on Twitter. Then they will host the Mystics on Saturday in a more difficult challenge of their growth as a team. It will take more than just Thomas to continue their success, but the veteran guard has continued to dominate throughout the year; it’s hard to imagine it won’t continue through the regular season.