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1h ago

WNBA Names Alanna Smith, A’ja Wilson Co-Defensive Players of the Year After Voting Tie

The unprecedented split followed an exact 29-29 media vote weighing Minnesota’s league-best defense against Las Vegas’s stat-leading anchor during a late-season surge.

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Overview

  • Smith and Wilson each received 29 votes from a 72-member panel, making this the first shared Defensive Player of the Year since the award began in 1997.
  • Smith earned her first DPOY as the Lynx’s rim-protecting anchor, helping Minnesota post a league-best 97.5 defensive rating and secure the No. 1 seed.
  • Wilson claimed her third DPOY (2022, 2023, 2025) after leading the WNBA in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156) while powering a 16-game Aces win streak to the No. 2 seed.
  • Other vote-getters were Seattle’s Gabby Williams (9), Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas (3), and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier (2).
  • Each co-winner will receive $5,150 and a commemorative trophy, and the announcement arrived during the playoffs as Aces coach Becky Hammon publicly questioned the ‘co’ decision.