Becky Hammon, Rhyne Howard headline WNBA awards for May

The WNBA monthly awards for May were announced Wednesday, with Becky Hammon and Rhyne Howard headlining the winners.

After getting off to the best 10-game start for a debut coach in WNBA history, Hammon was named the coach of the month. The Las Vegas Aces are 9-1 so far in her first season at the helm.

Hammon joins Nicki Collen as the only coaches since the award was introduced in 2017 to win it in their first years as head coaches. To further set her apart, Hammon is the only coach to have won it in her first month.

Hammon joins Nicki Collen as the only coaches since the award was introduced in 2017 to win Coach of the Month in their first years. Only Hammon won it in her first month. https://t.co/7DMcwAoIyD

— Across the Timeline (@WBBTimeline) June 1, 2022

Howard took home rookie of the month after averaging 16.9 points, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The No. 1 overall pick is off to a flying start, though she’s not the only rookie who’s stolen the show — both Shakira Austin and NaLyssa Smith also have gotten off to strong starts to their careers.

From No. 1 Draft pick to @KIA WNBA Rookie of the Month 🔥

Congrats, @howard_rhyne 👏 #MoreThan pic.twitter.com/XCCco5Go9n

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 1, 2022

Aces forward A’ja Wilson was named player of the month for the Western Conference after averaging a double-double to start the season with 17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was named the player of the month for the Eastern Conference after averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Safe to say @_ajawilson22 and @athomas_25 have been BALLING. With multiple dominant performances to lead their teams to 🔥 starts, they are taking home @kia WNBA Player of the Month honors. 👏 pic.twitter.com/MFNvfbnYoG

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 1, 2022