A’ja Wilson followed up a historic season with another incredible one to earn AP Player of the Year for the second straight time.
The Las Vegas Aces star topped Napheesa Collier of Minnesota and Alyssa Thomas of Phoenix, who both had terrific seasons.
“She’s put in the work and she passes all the tests — the math tests, the optics tests — she’s the most exciting player in the W,” Aces coach Becky Hammon told The Associated Press. “And here’s the thing, she’s also the most exciting player on the defensive end. She will do something once a game defensively that’s going to get you out of your seat. She’s the only player in this league that I’ve seen that has defensive highlights on a consistent basis.”
Wilson was also honored as the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four seasons.
“Considering coach (Dawn) Staley was so hard on me about my defense in college, I’m glad I can have some success at the pro level multiple times,” Wilson told the AP.
The WNBA will announce its postseason awards over the course of the playoffs, which begin Sunday. Wilson is a huge favorite to win the WNBA MVP for the second straight season. Her odds at BetMGM Sportsbook to repeat dropped over the last week with her going from +650 to -350 on Thursday.
The AP voting is done by a 14-member national media panel that votes on the power poll each week. It’s the 10th year of the awards.
Wilson once again led the league in scoring (23.4) as well as blocked shots (2.3).
Paige Bueckers was honored as the AP Rookie of the Year. The Dallas Wings’ No. 1 pick averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists in her first season. She also had a 44-point effort — the highest scoring game of anyone in the WNBA this season. The former UConn star finished with the third most points ever by a rookie and second most assists.
“I am very grateful for everyone who voted and saw me fit for Rookie of the Year,” Bueckers said. “I have always felt like individual awards are a way to acknowledge the team around you and that is exactly what this award means to me. My teammates, coaches, support staff and everyone from top to bottom in the entire Dallas Wings organization played a huge part in this.”
Bueckers was joined on the AP All-Rookie team by Washington’s Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, Connecticut’s Leila Lacan, Golden State’s Janelle Salaun and Seattle’s Dominique Malonga.
“Shoutout to this amazing rookie class,” Bueckers said. “There were a lot of unique journeys and a whole lot of hooping so we definitely put on for the class.”
Wilson, Collier and Thomas headlined the AP All-WNBA first team. The trio were unanimous picks. They were joined by Atlanta’s Allisha Gray and Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell.
New York’s Sabrina Ionescu, Bueckers, Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum and Las Vegas’ Jackie Young were on the second team.
Other AP winners included:
— Coach of the Year: Natalie Nakase. She led Golden State to a playoff berth in the expansion team’s inaugural season. It’s the first time that a first-year team made the postseason.
— Comeback Player of the Year: Shakira Austin. The Washington Mystics forward missed most of last season with a hip injury and subsequent ankle sprain. Austin averaged 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds this season.
— Most Improved Player: Veronica Burton. The Golden State Valkyries guard made the most of her opportunity with the expansion franchise. Burton averaged career highs in points (11.9), assists (6.0), rebounds (4.4) and minutes (29.4).
— Sixth Woman of the Year: Naz Hillmon. The Atlanta Dream forward had a career season, averaging 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds to help the Dream secure the third seed in the postseason. She came off the bench in 27 of the team’s 44 games and has played in 151 consecutive contests overall.
AP WNBA Power Poll
Las Vegas, riding a 16-game winning streak, finished atop the power poll, with Minnesota second. Atlanta and New York were third and fourth, respectively. They were followed by Phoenix, Indiana, Seattle, Golden State and Los Angeles. Connecticut, Washington, Dallas and Chicago finished off the poll.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
