Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün wins unanimous Sixth Player award, then slumps in Finals
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
French forward Janelle Salaün became the first unanimous WNBA Sixth Player of the Year on Oct 4.
Her playoff minutes have shrunk, and fans are calling her out in the Finals.
Background
Janelle Salaün is a French forward for the Golden State Valkyries, a WNBA team that won a franchise-record 32 games and earned the No. 2 seed this season. She built her career across France, international competition and the WNBA before her breakthrough year as a reserve, averaging 12.7 points in 22.1 minutes per game off the bench and shooting 39.2% from 3-point range. She set WNBA single-season records for points (509), 3-pointers (93) and double-digit scoring games (27) by a reserve, aided by the extended 44-game regular season. The story is trending because her regular-season award has been followed by a playoff slump during the Valkyries' Finals series against the Atlanta Dream.
How it unfolded
- Aug 9, 2024Salaün played for Team France in a women's semifinal against Belgium at Bercy Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- Oct 4, 2026Salaün was named WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the first player in league history to win the honor unanimously.
- Oct 15, 2026CBS Sports listed her as Sixth Player of the Year in its complete 2026 WNBA awards list.
- Oct 17, 2026USA TODAY published a career photo gallery noting she received the Sixth Man award before Game 1 of the second playoff round against the Las Vegas Aces; Swish Appeal previewed the Finals, noting she played under 10 minutes in each of the four games since Game 2 of the first round.
- Oct 19, 2026Yahoo Sports reported her playoff slump continued in the WNBA Finals, with fans calling her out.
- Oct 20, 2026StatMuse listed her averages over her last 20 games: 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- CBS Sports reported she was named Sixth Player of the Year as expected and is the first player in WNBA history to win the honor unanimously.
- Caution
- Yahoo Sports ran the headline 'Janelle Salaun Is Not Built for the Bright Lights' as fans called her out over her continued Finals slump.
- Analysts
- Swish Appeal noted she was a non-factor in the semifinals but said that if she gets significant minutes in the Finals she won't be shy about firing away from deep.