WNBA Awards: Top contenders for MVP, Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player

It’s award season in the WNBA and although the ballots haven’t been dispensed, let alone cast, whittling down the list of contenders is on everyone’s mind.

Is A’ja Wilson a unanimous MVP selection, or is there another worthy contender to make it a race? Is there a case for Sabrina Ionescu as MVP and Most Improved Player? Who will join Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on the all-rookie team and will either nab points in the MVP race?

Ballots are usually due the last day of the regular season and therefore do not account for playoff and championship outcomes. These are the players we’re looking closely at for awards down the last quarter of the season.

MVP

The MVP vote is the only one requiring voters to list their top five candidates in order. The counts are totaled by first (10 points) through fifth (1 point) place and the player with the most points, not necessarily the most first-place points, wins MVP. Here are players we’re considering for our ballots, in no particular order.

A’ja Wilson, Aces
The two-time MVP (2020, ’22) could break the average points and rebounds records by season’s end, currently averaging a never-before-seen double-double of 27.1 ppg and 11.7 rpg. Her dominance is nightly, even when the Aces are struggling, and she’s bailed the team out too many times to count.

For most of the first half of the season, Wilson was viewed as a runaway favorite and unanimous MVP. But there will be some voters who ask if she’s the best player on the best team, and if she’s most valuable to the team’s success. The Aces hovering around fifth could cause voters’ consternation, as does Napheesa Collier’s ascension the last few weeks. — Negley

Napheesa Collier, Lynx
There seems to be a consensus among WNBA media that Wilson is the only choice for MVP. I’m not sure that’s true. Her biggest challenger is Collier, who has led the Lynx to a 23-8 record and the No. 2 spot in the WNBA standings. She is averaging a double-double and is fourth in the league in scoring, plus her team has a legit chance to win the title.

But what truly makes Collier special is her ability to impact the game in every aspect. She’s the catalyst for her team’s offense — not just as a scorer, but as a passer as well — and as a defender. Collier can guard any position on the court, and she is also versatile enough on offense to be a mismatch for any defender. She is a serious MVP candidate. — Laase

Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty
Ionescu is finding her way to the rim more than ever to expand her dangerous range inside the arc. She hasn’t been as efficient from 3-point range as last year (33.7% to 44.8%), but that’s because she’s taking and making more of her shots from the midrange to lead the Liberty in big games. In her fourth year (not counting a shortened rookie season), Ionescu is the key piece to New York’s run at a championship as she’s averaging a career-high 19.3 points, which ranks seventh in the league, and 5.9 assists.

Guards historically do not win WNBA MVP. The last to do it was Diana Taurasi when she won her sole one in 2009. Cynthia Cooper won the first two in 1997 and 1998. — Negley

Alyssa Thomas, Sun
It was a three-player race for MVP last season, with Thomas, Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Stewart would take home the award, but plenty of people thought Thomas should have won, due to her skills as a facilitator, rebounder and scorer that led to her setting the WNBA triple-double record.

The Sun’s point forward is doing all of that once again this season, and once again she’s under the radar. But don’t be fooled by the lack of chatter surrounding Thomas. Instead, just look at her stat line. She is averaging 11.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game, and consistently finishes just a rebound or assist shy of a triple-double. No player has as much of an impact in as many categories, making Thomas immensely valuable to the Sun. — Laase

Caitlin Clark, Fever
Clark is tied with Ionescu as the No. 2 betting favorite behind Wilson and will be on at least a few voters’ ballots. Clark leads the league in assists per game (8.1), a mark that actively ranks fifth behind four Courtney Vandersloot seasons. Vandersloot earned MVP votes in all but one of those seasons.

Clark’s scoring average ranks top-10, but she also leads the league in turnovers despite limiting them as her rookie season has gone on. She is on pace to become the fourth player in WNBA history to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, according to Across the Timeline. — Negley

Defensive Player of the Year

The award leans heavily toward players who lead the league in blocks and steals, which is more often than not forwards. Tamika Catchings won the award five times, followed by Sylvia Fowles with four.

A’ja Wilson, Aces
Wilson is the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year winner and the linchpin of the Aces’ defense. She leads the league in blocks with a career-high 2.7 and ranks third in steals (1.9), the first time in her career she’s in the top 10. Her 6.5 block percentage ranks first and 2.8 steal percentage is sixth. She’s third in defensive win shares (2.1) and seventh in defensive rating (91.0) through Monday, but the team’s defense has ballooned to triple digits. — Negley

Ezi Magbegor, Storm
For the first month of the season, Magbegor was leading the WNBA in blocked shots, and though Wilson currently holds that honor, it’s still close. Magbegor is an elite rim protector who is averaging 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Her presence changes the way opponents run their offenses, as they try to navigate the 6-4 center’s length. She’s just behind Wilson in block percentage (6.2), but there’s plenty of season left for Magbegor to make a DPOY push. — Laase

Napheesa Collier, Lynx
Collier is the best defender on the league’s best defense (although Alanna Smith has a case there, too), averaging the second-most steals (2.0) in the league and ninth-most blocks (1.2). She’s second in defensive win shares (2.2) and second in defensive player rating (88.4). Collier has the range to defend on the perimeter and can shift to help, causing turnovers for the Lynx to score in transition. — Negley

Alyssa Thomas, Sun
Thomas’ do-it-all persona applies on the defensive end as well. Few players have the foot speed to stay in front of a guard and the strength to stop a post from backing them down in the paint. Thomas is unique in that aspect. Her versatility makes Thomas a major asset to the Sun’s defensive strategy, and her abilities extend way beyond the stat sheet. Watch Thomas for one defensive possession and you will see a player with a high IQ who impacts multiple positions, while disrupting the flow of opposing offenses. — Laase

Rookie of the Year / All-Rookie Team

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are in a race to the finish for Rookie of the Year honors, and Sparks center Cameron Brink likely would have made this a three-way race if not for a season-ending ACL injury. They aren’t the only stars from this standout first-year class. Here are a few who we’re considering for All-Rookie team selections. A rookie is considered any player, regardless of professional experience, who is playing in their first WNBA season.

Rickea Jackson, Sparks
Jackson is the forgotten rookie of this class in many ways, because she sits behind Reese and Clark in the ROY conversation, and because the Sparks are struggling. However, she’s easily the third-best rookie, and could even make a case for being in the top 2. Jackson won’t win ROY, but she is establishing herself as a player with a bright future. She’s a three-level scorer (shooting 37.8% from 3 and 47.4% overall), who continues to improve. In her last nine games, Jackson has scored at least 13 points. — Laase

Aaliyah Edwards, Mystics
Another underrated rookie, Edwards was thrust into a big role from Day 1 with a depleted Mystics squad, and she’s stepped up to the challenge. The UConn graduate is no stranger to adapting to a changing lineup and has the maturity to fit in with any group. She is putting up solid numbers off the bench — 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest — and has started 11 times this season. — Laase

Kamilla Cardoso, Sky
Cardoso was already a strong all-rookie team contender and then she threw a block party on Wilson. She missed all of May with a shoulder injury and is averaging 12.6 points per game this month, 50% higher than her average in the 18 games before the break while playing similar minutes. Cardoso leads active rookies in blocks and field goal percentage. — Negley

Leonie Fiebich, Liberty
Fiebich is a rookie by name only. The German national team forward was drafted by the Sparks in 2020, but played overseas until the Liberty traded for her rights in 2023. A key cog off the bench early in the season, she’s spot started in important minutes for Betnijah Laney-Hamilton recently and caused problems for offenses with her length on the perimeter. She has the best shooting clips of nearly any rookie playing double-digit minutes, trailing only bigs Kamilla Cardoso and Aaliyah Edwards in field goal percentage (43.5%) and leading all from 3-point range (39.6% on 3.3 attempts per game). — Negley

Most Improved Player

The award is “designed to honor a player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons,” per previous WNBA ballots. It is not intended as a comeback award for a player returning from injury, childbirth or the like. Wings forward Satou Sabally won in 2023 and Aces guard Jackie Young in 2022.

Chennedy Carter, Sky
Carter is playing how most believed she would at the pro level but haven’t seen over the last couple of years. Her statistics are in line with previous seasons, notably her rookie year with Atlanta in the Wubble when the No. 4 pick was a ROY candidate and made the all-rookie team. The off-court issues have always been the concern around Carter, and at least from the outside, those have been a non-issue under first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. In that way, she’s much improved. — Negley

Maddy Siegrist, Wings
Siegrist was the favorite to win this award in the first half of the season, until an injury sidelined her for half of June and all of July. Still, her improvement is plain to see, and no one has had as dramatic of a stat increase from 2023 to 2024. In her rookie season, Siegrist averaged 8.2 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.6 rebounds. This year the forward is putting up 12.1 points and 3.4 rebounds, while playing 28.6 minutes per contest and starting 11 times. — Laase

DiJonai Carrington, Sun
Carrington played a key role for the Sun last season off the bench, but her importance has increased dramatically since being put into the starting lineup this year. Carrington is tasked with guarding the best opposing perimeter player each game, and almost always holds them below their scoring average. She has also improved as a scorer and can get to the basket with ease. Her point, rebound, assist and steal totals have all gone up from last season. If that’s not improvement, I don’t know what is. — Laase

Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty
If Ionescu’s improvement from midrange doesn’t fall directly into the definition of this award, we’re not sure what does. Ionescu hit 14.7% (5-of-34) in 2023, per Her Hoop Stats, and quickly showed off her offseason work in the team’s season opener. Through 28 games, she averaged 44.2%, hitting nearly five times as many shots (23-of-52). It’s a career-best over shooting 37.8% (31-of-82). — Negley

Sixth Player of the Year

The Sixth Player award is the only one with strict criteria to be eligible. Players must come off the bench for more games than they start, so a few early contenders are riding the line of eligibility.

Tiffany Hayes, Aces
From retirement to award season, it’s been quite a ride for the longtime Dream guard. The Aces signed Hayes five games into the season, months after the 11-year veteran retired in December citing wear and tear on her body. Now she’s averaging 8.5 points off the bench, better than all Aces except Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, along with 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. She is the team’s spark in what’s been a roller-coaster season and ranks second in scoring of players who have come off the bench in at least 15 games. — Negley

Chennedy Carter, Sky*
Carter became such a strong Sixth Player pick early in the season that she played herself out of contention for it. The Chicago guard provided a much-needed spark off the bench, averaging 12.6 points in the first 13 games. Carter moved into the starting lineup on June 16 and has played more there (15) than off the bench (13) as of Tuesday, making her ineligible for the award unless she’s relegated back to a reserve role over the last quarter of the season. — Negley

Alysha Clark, Aces
A preseason favorite to repeat — and continue a lineage of Aces Sixth Player honors — Clark hasn’t performed as well as other contenders in the category. And the team’s defense isn’t strong enough to give her an edge as a defensive menace. — Negley

Jordan Horston, Storm*
There’s an asterisk by Horston’s bid for Sixth Player of the Year because she worked her way into the starting lineup and has stayed there for 14 games. But with the return of Gabby Williams, Horston could once again come off the bench. In that case, she has a solid resume for the award, averaging 7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. — Laase

Sophie Cunningham, Mercury
Cunningham is essentially the sixth starter for the Mercury. She started last season, but the addition of Bec Allen sent her to the bench this season, only to become a starter once more with Allen’s injury. Cunningham provides a spark for Phoenix, particularly from long range, where she makes 36.6% of her attempts. She also plays starters minutes as a bench player, averaging 27.8 per game. — Laase

Coach of the Year

Cheryl Reeve, Lynx
Reeve is no stranger to this award, having won it three times previously and becoming only the third coach in WNBA history to do so. The Lynx finished the 2023 campaign under .500 (19-21) and, close to a year later, are in the running for the No. 1 seed. No team has been hotter since the Olympic break, despite Reeve and star Napheesa Collier spending it winning gold in Paris.

Reeve, who is also the franchise’s president of basketball operations, rebuilt a winner not through multiple draft lotteries or collecting multiple All-Star splashes in free agency. She put together a group of strong players who work well as a unit, particularly on the defensive side where the Lynx rank third. Their 23.4 apg trails only the 2022 Sky (24.3) and 2023 Liberty (24.1). — Negley

Sandy Brondello, Liberty
Brondello will pull votes as — at least for the time being — the head coach of the No. 1 team in the league. Brondello and players called the Game 4 Finals loss to Las Vegas a scar that will heal and will make them tougher than before in their quest for the franchise’s first championship. The team is stronger defensively, has built better chemistry on both ends of the floor, and proved its merit by defeating the Aces twice already in Las Vegas. — Negley

All-WNBA First Team

Voters select first- and second-team All-WNBA selections regardless of position. The change was made in 2022. Here are the top players we’re considering for the five first-team selections.

Negley: A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, Jonquel Jones, Caitlin Clark — Negley

Laase: A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas, Dearica Hamby, Kahleah Copper, Arike Ogunbowale