WNBA Awards: Napheesa Collier wins DPOY, A’ja Wilson takes third MVP, Caitlin Clark reportedly gets ROY

The 2024 WNBA Playoffs are in full swing and we’ve reached the semifinals, which includes a Finals rematch between the top-seeded New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces and a defensive-focused showdown between the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun.

We’re also in the middle of awards season. The league announced several major awards, including MVP, which went to Aces star A’ja Wilson for the third time, and the Defensive Player of the Year award, which Lynx forward Napheesa Collier picked up on Sunday. There is also a report from Shams Charania that Caitlin Clark was named Rookie of the Year, although this has not been officially announced.

Here’s a look at the awards we know of so far and what’s to come:

Wilson put together the best individual season the league has ever seen and, in fact, had secured the MVP award by mid-summer. She became the first player to score 1,000 points in a season, set a record for highest scoring average in a season (26.9 points) and broke the single-season rebounding record (451). Among all players, she was first in scoring, second in rebounds, first in blocks and fifth in steals. The only real question was whether Wilson would win the award unanimously, which she did, joining Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the only players to achieve that feat.

The league has not yet officially announced the rookie of the year, but Charania reported that Clark will be the winner. That’s no surprise after having one of the best debut seasons in league history. Clark set the single-game assist record, the single-season assist record, the rookie scoring record and the rookie 3-point record, was the first rookie to record a triple-double (she tied with two off) and the first rookie to receive a Player of the Month honor. She ranked seventh in the league in scoring and first in assists.

The Lynx were the biggest surprise team this season. They won a franchise-record 30 games and secured the second playoff spot thanks to their dynamic defense that ranked second in the league (94.8 defensive rating). Collier was the anchor of this unit. She averaged 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, which ranked second and seventh in the league, respectively, and had 3.7 defensive win shares, also good for second.

Carrington moved into the Sun’s starting lineup this year and posted career-highs across the board with 12.7 points, five rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. While that was impressive, she was named the best player largely because of the jump she made on the defensive side of the ball. Carrington is arguably the best fullback in the league and played a key role in the Sun’s league-best defensive rating of 94.1.

For the second time ever, the Coach of the Year and Manager of the Year were the same person, Reeve from Minnesota. The Lynx maestro is now also the first person in league history to win Coach of the Year four times. She made a series of smart moves in both the winter and midseason, culminating in the signings of Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith, and led the Lynx to a franchise-record 30 wins and the No. 2 overall pick.

All-Defensive Teams

First team

Second team