In a weird plot twist for the end of the year WNBA awards, we see the very first shared award in league history. Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces were named Co-Defensive Players of the Year.
Smith and Wilson both tallied the exact same amount of points amongst voters. Though both players are very deserving, it’s unlikely anyone had them splitting the award on their bingo cards. It’s almost a classic case of arguably the most important defender on the best defensive team (Smith), versus the arguably the best individual/statistical defender (Wilson). It almost feels like we’ve been hearing a similar discourse about another end of the year award.
Regardless, the Lynx improved from second-best in league Defensive Rating last year, to first this year. They’ve largely run laps around the competition in the regular season and much of it has to be credited to the defensive efforts of Smith. The recently turned 29-year-old vet was third in the league in total blocks (80), tenth in total steals (55), second in defensive rating (96.4), and second in defensive win shares (2.9). Head Coach Cheryl Reeve has often pointed to Smith leading the team in deflections which is evident in the eye test.
Smith was selected for the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024, yet still made a leap to earn the headlining award this season. She becomes the third different player in franchise history to earn this achievement (Sylvia Fowles, Napheesa Collier), tied for the most in the league (Sparks; Leslie, Beard, Parker). Most recently, Collier was crowned the DPOY last season and was still a finalist this year. She earned a chunk of votes to her own credit, further cementing that defense is always a team effort. This is the first time two different players from the same team won back-to-back DPOY awards.
There are still a lot of eyes on various other end of the regular season awards. Most notably, Natisha Hiedeman as a a top candidate for Sixth Player of the Year with the winner being announced on Saturday, September 20th, and Collier’s bid for Most Valuable Player announced on Sunday, September 21st. All the while, the Lynx continue to work towards the most important achievement of the season:
Championship number five.
