On Wednesday, the WNBA announced the schedule for end-of-season awards throughout the 2023 season and a new process for selecting All-Defensive Teams.
The WNBA will announce the winners of 12 end-of-season awards beginning on Sept. 11, the day after the conclusion of the regular season.
Votes for the end-of-season awards will be determined by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters for 10 of the 12 awards. The WNBA Peak Performer awards will be given to players who lead the league in points, rebounds, and assists per game throughout the regular season. Also, the general managers across the league will vote for the Executive of the Year award, which will be awarded on Sept. 14.
The WNBA will announce the Most Valuable Player award on Sept. 26 during the 2023 WNBA Semifinals. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas are among the contenders for the award. Last season, Wilson won the award after leading the Aces to the No. 1 seed in the WNBA and averaging 19.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
The Rookie of the Year Award and All-Rookie Teams will be announced on Oct. 2. The top pick of this year’s WNBA Draft, Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever and Diamond Miller of the Minnesota Lynx, are among the contenders for the award.
The WNBA unveiled the 2023 end-of-season awards schedule with the following:
- Sept. 11- WNBA Peak Performer awards
- Sept. 14- WNBA Executive of the Year
- Sept. 17- WNBA Head Coach of the Year
- Sept. 18- Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year
- Sept. 21- Kia WNBA Most Improved Player
- Sept. 26- Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player
- Oct. 2- Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year and WNBA All-Rookie Team
- Oct. 5- Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and WNBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams
- Oct. 13- All-WNBA First and Second Teams
- Oct. 24- Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
For the first time in WNBA history, the All-Defensive First and Second Teams have been selected based on skill, not player position. Before the 2023 WNBA season, voters selected two guards, two forwards, and a center for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams. Last season, they implemented positionless voting for the All-WNBA First and Second Teams.
“After consulting with our teams, we believe this change gives us an opportunity to simply honor the 10 most deserving defensive players,” WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin said. “When we changed the All-WNBA Team voting process last year, we noted how our game has evolved in terms of pace of play and spacing. The players have expanded their skill sets, and that is equally true on defense.”
The 2023 WNBA regular season will end on Sept. 10th, and the postseason will start three days later, with games in the first round airing on ESPN 2.
