Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes has been named the 2024 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the league revealed on Friday. Hayes has truly shined in her role off the bench for Las Vegas, just months after coming out of retirement to rejoin the league.
This season, Hayes put up an average of 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while playing about 21 minutes per match for the Aces. Despite the limited time, she made a huge difference for the team.
In her 12th WNBA season and first with the Aces, Hayes took part in 33 of the team’s 40 regular-season games. She came off the bench in 28 of those games, a career high for her, and started only five. To qualify for the award, a player must come off the bench more often than they start.
Hayes not only averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this season, but also hit 40% of her 3-point shots. Remarkably, she rejoined the Aces a few weeks into the season, having announced her retirement from the WNBA just six months earlier.
She was presented with the award before the Aces faced off against the Liberty in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals.
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During her career, Hayes spent a decade with the Atlanta Dream, who drafted her in 2012 from UConn. In 2023, she joined the Connecticut Sun and started all 40 games that season, before deciding to retire from the WNBA.
However, the Aces convinced her to return in May, signing the experienced guard with hopes of securing a third consecutive title. Hayes became the fourth-highest scorer on Las Vegas’ talent-packed roster.
She won the Sixth Player of the Year award with 38 out of 67 total votes, while New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich came in second place with 21 votes.
This achievement continues the Aces’ dominance in this category, marking the fifth time in six seasons that one of their players has claimed the Sixth Player award. Alysha Clark took home the honor last year, Kelsey Plum won it in 2021, and Dearica Hamby earned the award in both 2019 and 2020.
As for the Aces, they face the Liberty on their home court Friday night in the semifinals. Currently down 2-0 in the best-of-five series, Friday’s game is a must-win for Las Vegas.
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