While it may seem far too soon to begin talking about WNBA awards, believe it or not, a quarter of the 2026 season is done.
So, this is as good a time as any to start thinking about the players standing out in the pack.
Some of the names have been dominant for years. Others are new faces. And candidates, of course, will emerge and fade as the season unfolds.
However, here are the favorites for all the biggest WNBA awards—as of right now. In the comments, let us know if you agree, while also sharing
your quarter-season favorites.
Most Valuable Player: A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
Greatness can become commonplace and be taken for granted when viewed regularly.
A’ja Wilson has dominated the 2020s, and 2026 is no exception. She is averaging 25.9 points per game, the most in the WNBA. Add in her 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, and it paints the picture of a dominant player who continues to remain at the top of her game.
Her best game this season was against the Connecticut Sun, where she scored a whopping 45 points. In that win, Wilson not only scored in bunches, but also did so efficiently, missing just three shots. She even added in a pair of 3s.
Wilson has added to her game with the 3-ball. She is attempting 2.5 shots from deep, that’s the most in her career. The results have been phenomenal with Wilson converting on 55 percent of her 3-pointers.
With a developing outside game, midrange and post moves that remain immaculate and routine double-digit rebounding efforts, few can argue that they are in Wilson’s realm.
Wilson continues to be the best player on the title-defending team that’s currently No.2 in the WNBA. When you add up the tangibles and intangibles, it’s clear Wilson is the MVP of this league and on a short list of players worthy of being considered the Greatest of All Time.
Defensive Player of the Year: Emily Engstler (Portland Fire)
Emily Engstler has impressed as a defender.
She is averaging 2.1 blocks per game, the third most in the WNBA. Her 62.8 percent block rate is the best among the top rim protectors. Engstler is also averaging 1.3 steals per game, showcasing her ability to be an agile defender.
The Fire were lucky to acquire Engstler, who is making the most of her increase in minutes by putting together a career-best defensive season. If she can keep it up, she’ll continue to be in the running for DPOY.
Rookie of the Year: Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx)
Olivia Miles being a great WNBA player was easy to predict.
However, she’s been even better than the most optimistic people could have guessed. She is averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. That makes her the rookie leader in points, rebounds and assists. Miles is also leading this rookie class in steals with 1.3 per game.
The advanced metrics confirm how good Miles has been. She’s played a rookie-high 368 minutes and has a plus-minus of +160. That’s more than double the plus-minus of second-best rookie, the Dallas Wings’ Azzi Fudd, who is a +74.
With Miles starting, the Lynx have not only been able to survive, but thrive early on even with Napheesa Collier curretly out. The Lynx have won 10 of their first 12 games, giving them the best record in the WNBA.
Other rookies have been playing well, like Fudd and the Seattle Storm’s Flau’jae Johnson, but Miles, is, well, miles ahead.
Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx)
Yes, the Lynx added a generational talent with Miles, but losing Phee should’ve hurt much more for this team. Somehow, they’ve found a way to remain as dominante—and that’s a credit to head coach Cheryl Reeve.
She has found a way to keep her team’s defense at the top of the league, even after losing last season’s co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith in free agency, with a defensive rating of 96.5. They are also the top offense with a 111.6 offensive rating.
This level of quality is flabbergasting and Reeve deserves all the credit, from making the addition of Miles such a breeze to maintaining her team’s rim protection to generating great offense without their MVP.
If Minnesota remains this good, she will remain a favorite to win her fifth Coach of the Year Award.
Most Improved Player: Carla Leite (Portland Fire)
Carla Leite has taken advantage of her opportunities with the Fire and turned it into a dramatic jump in production.
She is averaging 14 points per game, almost double of her rookie year with the Golden State Valkyries, where she averaged 7.2 a game.
Her 3-point percentage has also had an uptick. Leite is now shooting 33.3 percent from deep. Last season she shot an abysmal 17.3 percent from beyond the arc. With Leite increasing her rebounding numbers from 1.3 to 1.8 per game and her assist average from 2.0 to 5.0, it’s placed her as the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Sixth Player of the Year: Chennedy Carter (Las Vegas Aces)
Chennedy Carter has been utterly dominant.
She is averaging 17.5 points, which is tied for her career-best, but her 65.1 percent shooting from the field is ridiculous. Carter is also knocking down 58.8 percent of her 3-point attempts. She’s always been a scoring machine, but now she’s reached another level, where she’s a flamethrower, ready to enter a game and melt defenses.
For Carter, the key is maintaining this play, as well as a consistent mindset on and off the court. There’s a long way to go, but currently, she’s the best player coming off the bench.
