Aces' Wilson, Lynx's Smith share WNBA D-award

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Las Vegas Aces prima A'ja Wilson was voted WNBA Defensive Player of the Year connected Thursday for the 3rd clip successful 4 seasons, sharing the grant this clip with Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx.

Each subordinate received 29 votes from the 72 media members who participated. It's the archetypal clip the award, archetypal fixed retired successful the WNBA's inaugural play successful 1997, went to much than 1 player.

Wilson, who besides won the grant successful 2022 and 2023, tied Sheryl Swoopes for the third-highest fig of times capturing apical antiaircraft player. Tamika Catchings owns the grounds with 5 and Sylvia Fowles is adjacent with four.

Wilson led the league with 2.3 blocks per game, was 3rd with 7.9 antiaircraft rebounds per crippled and finished 4th with an mean of 1.6 steals.

The Lynx led the WNBA with 97.5 points per 100 possessions. Smith was 2nd successful combined steals and blocks with 135 and 3rd successful mean blocks with 1.9 and full blocks with 80.

She is the 2nd Minnesota subordinate successful a enactment to astatine slightest stock this award. Napheesa Collier was voted the league's apical antiaircraft subordinate successful 2024, making the Lynx the archetypal squad to person 2 antithetic players triumph the grant successful consecutive seasons.

Wilson and Collier are the front-runners for MVP, truthful whether the antiaircraft subordinate voting was immoderate benignant of harbinger for what could beryllium a adjacent ballot remains to beryllium seen. That grant volition beryllium announced Sunday.

The Lynx captured the apical effect for the playoffs, and the Aces were second.

Wilson and Smith were acold up of the others successful votes for apical defender. Seattle's Gabby Williams was 3rd with 9 votes, Phoenix's Alyssa Thomas had 3 and Collier two.