By: Betty Cantley
2 days ago – The WNBA has officially announced that Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx and A’Ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces are the 2025 Kia WNBA Co-Defensive Players of the Year. This is the first time in league history that the award has been shared.
Smith and Wilson each received 29 votes from a national panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters. This is Wilson’s third Defensive Player of the Year award, which she also won in 2022 and 2023. She joins an elite group of players—Sheryl Swoopes, Sylvia Fowles, and Tamika Catchings—who have won three or more times.
This is Smith’s first Defensive Player of the Year honor. She helped anchor the league’s top-ranked defense for the Minnesota Lynx, who finished the season with a league-best 97.5 defensive rating.
A’Ja Wilson led the league in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), and combined steals and blocks (156).
Alanna Smith ranked third in blocks per game (1.9) and finished second overall in combined steals and blocks (135). She also set a Lynx franchise record with 80 blocks in the season.
Other vote getters were Seattle Storm guard Gabby Williams, who finished with nine votes, while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesia Collier also received votes.