Burton Became The First Player In League History To Have 20 Assists And Zero Turnovers Over A Two-Game Span

The WNBA announced today that Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton has been named the league’s Western Conference Player of the Week for games played between Monday, August 24 and Sunday, August 30.

Burton helped lead the Valkyries to a perfect 4-0 week, averaging 11.3 points, 8.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and a 17.5 assist-to-turnover ratio while shooting 47.2 percent from the field. Burton began the week with 14 points, nine assists and five steals in the road win against Minnesota while guiding a defensive unit that held the first-place Lynx to a season-low 66 points. The guard added 12 points, seven assists and zero turnovers in the win at Connecticut, followed by a season-high 13 assists and zero turnovers at New York to become the first player in WNBA history to have 20 assists and zero turnovers over a two-game span. Burton wrapped up the week with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists in the 86-69 win over Portland on Sunday.

Burton currently ranks first in the league in defensive win share (.202 – min. 15 GP), first in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.14), fifth in defensive rating (96.7), and ninth in assists per game (5.8). The Northwestern alumna is the only player in the WNBA this season averaging over 12.0 points and 5.0 assists while also posting no more than 2.0 turnovers per game.

This award is Burton’s first career WNBA Player of the Week honor. She becomes the second-ever Valkyries player to be named Player of the Week after teammate Kayla Thornton earned the recognition on June 17 last season. Burton was also named the Associated Press Player of the Week on Monday.

Golden State is back in action on Friday, September 18 against Portland, tipping off at 7 p.m. at Chase Center. The Valkyries host Seattle at 6 p.m. in their regular-season home finale on Saturday, September 19, with tickets available at valkyries.com/schedule.