WNBA awards season has dawned once again, and the races were as tight as ever. History is on the line, with A’ja Wilson able to grow her MVP collection to five and Lynx rookie Olivia Miles potentially becoming only the second rookie to win MVP, a spot where Candace Parker stands alone.
Increased winnings are also at stake following March’s new collective bargaining agreement. And for many players on these candidacy lists, it’s an opportunity to build a career legacy and negotiate larger free agent contracts down the road.
A panel of 74 national and WNBA-market media members submitted ballots by Friday, with awards to be announced throughout the postseason. There are no requirements or explanations given for awards, except for Sixth Player (a player must come off the bench for more games than they start). Here is my ballot:
Most Valuable Player: A’ja Wilson, Aces
2. Caitlin Clark, Fever
3. Breanna Stewart, Liberty
4. Kelsey Mitchell, Fever
5. Olivia Miles, Lynx
While it’s true Wilson might run away with the vote again for a record-extending fifth MVP, the path to reach it was more difficult than I think many are allowing. The playoff field is so tight, and the definition of MVP (as always) so malleable, that there are a dearth of options.
Wilson’s on/off numbers and player efficiency marks blow away the competition, giving her the edge. The Aces have a +13.6 net rating with her on the floor, versus -11.8 off, and she leads the group with a 33.0 PER, nearly 10 points better than second place. Those marks blow out the rest of the competition in the above top five list. She is the be-all, end-all for the Aces — hence why focusing on her health during the World Cup break was so imperative to a Las Vegas run.
Then there’s the consideration of what defines the season? Is it Wilson, who became the first player to average at least 26 points per game in multiple seasons? Or, rather, do either Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Mitchell fit into that role of historic offensive heights? I’d argue the latter, given the Fever’s record-shattering offense in a year defined by it.
Clark is third league-wide averaging 22.8 points per game, and is the league’s best facilitator, tying Alyssa Thomas with a league-best 8 assists per game. Much like Wilson, the Fever are built around Clark. And she’s shooting the best marks of her professional career at 45.2% from the field and 36.9% from 3-point range (71st percentile). She became the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game and the first with back-to-back 30-point, 10-assist games. As for those knocking her defense, that side of the ball has improved, and didn’t Diana Taurasi once win this award?
Mitchell, averaging a second-best 25 points per game, ended her impressive streak of 20-plus-point games (going back to June 20) on Thursday night. The veteran guard is the consistent piece to the Fever’s offensive attack with an uncanny ability to drive for circus shots or bounce her way free in the midrange. Everything she does looks easy. The challenge with the duo is how to separate them from each other in an award centered on “most valuable”
Unfortunately for World Cup MVP Stewart, her team let down her candidacy. If the Liberty had performed better throughout the season, and if they were closer to third in the standings by week’s end than eighth, she could have easily taken this vote and a larger overall vote share. She is the most valuable piece to New York, shown by her versatility, her efforts on both sides of the ball and her often unspoken, confident leadership. Other than the ongoing slide in her perimeter shot, her stats aren’t far off from the rest of her career.
Miles deserves a spot as the best player on the best team. The rookie assimilated quickly into the pro game, running one of the league’s best offenses despite being one of three new starters while they awaited the return of MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier. Miles is top-10 in scoring average and assists, shooting nearly 50% from the field.
All-WNBA first team: Clark, Mitchell, Miles, Stewart, Wilson
All-WNBA second team: Paige Bueckers (Wings), Rhyne Howard (Dream), Angel Reese (Dream), Marina Mabrey (Tempo), Jackie Young (Aces)
Rookie of the Year: Olivia Miles, Lynx
Miles, the No. 2 selection in the WNBA Draft, landed in a perfect situation with Minnesota. The Lynx, coming off another top-two season in net rating, not only had key pieces waiting on the court, but they provided the rookie a glutton of four-time Lynx champions on the bench. That includes experienced guidance from Hall of Fame point guard Lindsay Whalen.
To do what Miles has done as a rookie point guard should lead to a unanimous win. She hasn’t looked like a one after staying a fifth season in the NCAA and working on her pro game with TCU. She leads all rookies in scoring average (19.8 ppg) and assists (6.0 apg) by large margins, and is top-four in rebounds, blocks and steals. Her shooting split is close to 50-40-90, with percentages of .495 from the field, .396 from the perimeter and .869 from the free throw line.
All-Rookie team: Miles (Lynx), Azzi Fudd (Wings), Flau’jae Johnson (Storm), Sydney Taylor (Sky), Pauline Astier (Liberty)
The options were plentiful for the All-Rookie team. It was difficult to leave out Tempo guard Kiki Rice in favor of Astier. I considered also leaving out Fudd, the rookie steals leader and key piece to the Wings defense, due simply to missing 32% of the season. Awa Fam was also in consideration.
Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve, Lynx
The Coach of the Year race is by far one of the most difficult. The Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve, Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase and Mystics’ Sydney Johnson all built deserving cases.
Reeve, a four-time winner of this award, exceeded expectations after an offseason rejuggling and playing the first half without Collier. Minnesota entered the season as a longshot Finals contender given a completely new frontcourt until Collier’s return in July. Most impressive is how Reeve has led the Lynx with a rookie point guard in Miles. That ultimately pushed Reeve to the top of this ballot.
Reeve, the team’s president of basketball operations since November 2022, is also a leading contender for Executive of the Year for how she built the roster after losing forwards Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith, the 2025 co-Defensive Player of the Year. That award is voted on by the league’s executives.
The Valkyries went from sneaking into the playoffs in their inaugural season to battling for the No. 1 overall seed up until the end. They stay tight to their defensive identity, which this season rose to the best in the league, and regularly go deep into their bench. That only happens on a well-coached squad.
Johnson is the option who truly outperformed expectations, flipping a rebuilding roster into a contending one. The Mystics quietly became the league’s second-best defensive team despite being the youngest to reach the playoffs in league history. Only three players had at least four years of experience heading into the season, and eight are WNBA rookies. Johnson, in his second year as a head coach, learned how to best connect and lead his young and developing squad.
Sixth Player of the Year: Janelle Salaün, Valkyries
Salaün is the Valkyries’ second-best scorer — yet the first off the bench. There is no clearer candidate for this award than the second-year French forward who stepped back to the bench from regular starter with the Valkyries a year ago.
Salaün leads all bench players in scoring average (12.9 ppg) — nearly four points more than Sparks center Cameron Brink in second — and ranks fourth in rebounding (3.9 rpg) on shooting clips of 42.5% from the field, 39.7% from 3-point range and 81.2% from the line. She led the Valkyries’ scoring offense in eight games, including a WNBA career-high 26 against the Tempo in July. Her team is 4.7 points per game better with Salaün on the floor, the best of any bench player except teammate Kaila Charles (4.9).
Big picture, it’s ridiculous to look elsewhere for the Sixth Player award. The Valkyries bench is averaging a league-high 36.1 points per game, 13 points more than the next closest playoff team. The Liberty’s bench averaged 23.1 points in only four fewer minutes per game.
Golden State is far and away the team that relies on its bench the most, not because of injuries or limited starter minutes, but because the depth makes for a championship contender. Three of the top 10 bench scorers are from Golden State, including Tiffany Hayes (8.9 ppg) and Kaitlyn Chen (7.1 ppg).
Honorable mentions: Sophie Cunningham (Fever), Cameron Brink (Sparks)
Defensive Player of the Year: Gabby Williams, Valkyries
Defensive Player of the Year is a tricky award to decipher. Defense is so highly predicated on the team playing on a string that singling one player out is prone to chaos. More than any other, traditional stats do not tell the entire story. They are more advantageous to post players, who are often asked to clean up defensive miscues as the last line of defense. Neither do advanced stats. Expect this to be a tight race with a wide range of votes cast.
The Valkyries hang their hats on the defensive end and are the league’s best in the category. Williams helps start it on the perimeter as one of the best two-way players, averaging 2.6 steals per 40 minutes (third) with a versatility to switch onto any player. She is third in defensive rating (96.4) and third in defensive win shares per 40. The knock against her is the 25.2 minutes per game.
Honorable mentions: Dream forward Angel Reese took a step forward in her new home, impacting the game most on the defensive end. The Dream rank third in team defensive rating, with the three league steals leaders in Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada and Reese. … Mystics second-year guard Sonia Citron is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, helming a league-best defense. She has consistently limited other teams’ All-Star backcourt stars. A’ja Wilson’s rim protection and impact always put her in top contention. She led the league in blocks (2.0) for a fifth consecutive season.
Most Improved: Carla Leite, Fire
Leite’s performance to end the Valkyries’ chase of the No. 1 seed on Tuesday night certainly underlines this already determined pick. Leite, the Fire’s second selection in the two-team expansion draft, is a key reason the expansion team is competitive in year 1 as the best of the seven teams to miss the playoffs.
She’s shooting 40.2% from the perimeter, a 22.9% jump from a year ago with Golden State and one of the biggest leaps in the league this season. Leite is averaging 8.8 points more per game, the third-most of any player in the league, and 7.9 more points per 40 minutes. The French guard is facilitating more in Portland as well, jumping 5 more assists per 40 minutes from 4.7 to 9.7.
Honorable mentions: As an expansion team with a head coach who goes about it differently than most, the Fire had a dearth of contenders in this category, including Bridget Carlton and Emily Engstler. Of the top 10 players in average scoring improvement, eight are on expansion teams and six are in Portland.
… Washington Mystics fifth-year forward Shakira Austin improved in per-game scoring, but more notable to this award, is developing into more of a perimeter threat. Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard is the leading contender with career-best numbers. She signed with the Wings on a $1M contract after playing as Collier’s backup last year.
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