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But for today, as the WNBA playoffs approach, I want to take you all inside the method I use to fill out my end-of-season awards ballot. Before I do, some caveats.
WNBA awards are something I take very seriously. I’ve covered this league for a long time, and I’m honored to be asked to participate, so I work very hard at getting it right. That said: it is far from clear that there is, actually, a “right” answer to any of these questions! I am bewildered by those who think otherwise. I sometimes disagree with my colleagues, but we are asked to vote on specific awards without any clear definition of what any of them means, or a consensus on which stats best support the value propositions, or really, anything other than league instructions about where to list your votes.
With that said, I hope people who evaluate this or any other list understand that there is not an objective truth here. So: let’s vote for some players and a coach!
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All-WNBA teams
The order of the WNBA’s ballot I receive begins with the All-WNBA first and second teams. I’ve spent most of the season refining my MVP list, and that’s a useful starting point for me, since my first team is always made up of my No. 1-5 in the MVP race. Accordingly, my first team is A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Olivia Miles, Kelsey Mitchell and Rhyne Howard. More on those five during the MVP vote. My second team is Paige Bueckers, Veronica Burton, Caitlin Clark, Allisha Gray and Angel Reese.
It’s hard to separate those ten, really, and the closest to my first team was Bueckers. I am sympathetic to the idea that Mitchell is as good as she is because she plays next to Clark, but I am slightly more sympathetic to the idea that the reverse is also true. (I also guess this is a good time to remind everyone that referring to any player as one of the ten best in the WNBA is not a sign of disrespect? Actually, the exact opposite? But I digress.)
Coach of the Year
This one was really difficult for me. Natalie Nakase is one of the best coaches in the WNBA; she took a Golden State team that many saw as overachievers in year 1 and made them even better in year 2. Sydney Johnson and the Mystics are the feel-good story of the season. Either one is a worthy choice.
But it’s got to be Cheryl Reeve, right? The Lynx lost six players in free agency this winter, Napheesa Collier didn’t play until July 22 and the Lynx are 32-10 entering Tuesday night’s games. 32-10! Not a fluke, either; by most measures they are the best team in the WNBA entering the playoffs. I guess if Golden State overtakes the Lynx for the top seed I’ll need to reconsider. Accordingly, I won’t submit this ballot until Friday. But even then, I’m pretty sure it’s Reeve. The degree of difficulty was just too high.
Defensive awards
I have plenty of candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, from Wilson to Stewart to Reese and Gabby Williams. But my leader for most of the season, and my choice, is Reese’s teammate, Rhyne Howard. The stocks are just too impressive for me — 97 steals easily leads the league, and she’s blocked 39 shots, more even than Reese’s 32! I take this on knowing that those stats alone are not determinative and that defensive stats generally are lousy. I have spoken to countless players, front office members and fellow journalists about their impressions to counter the reality that I can only see so many games live. So Howard’s the choice. But there were plenty of good options.
Which is great, because we have All-Defensive first and second teams to fill out! First team: Howard, Reese, Wilson, Stewart and Shakira Austin. Second team: Gabby Williams, Natasha Howard, Allisha Gray, Kiah Stokes and Alyssa Thomas. And let me just say: I very nearly added Leonie Fiebich to my second team, even with only 587 minutes played, because she’s that impactful defensively. (Minutes are what put Gabby Williams on the second team as well.)
Most Improved Player
This is another hard call! Carla Leite is an excellent choice, and Jessica Shepard has moved seamlessly into that starring role in Dallas while improving her assist percentage in the process. My choice, and not just because she’s from New Jersey, is Marina Mabrey. Not only did she play the role as Toronto’s go-to scorer all season, she did it while posting easily the best true shooting percentage of her career and punctuating it with a career high assist percentage to boot. Mabrey probably should be on my All-WNBA second team, and was one of those just off the list. But she is league royalty now, let there be no mistake.
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Most Valuable Player
This one was challenging for sure, but not really at the top. Win shares is a flawed stat, and I can hear Emily Adler screaming as I write this, but it illustrates just how much A’ja Wilson matters to the Aces. She’s recorded 9 win shares in 2026. The next highest, Kelsey Mitchell, checks in at 7.2. Which is great, right? But 20% lower than Wilson!
In fact, there’s a real logjam at the No. 2-5 spots, and Stewart, Miles, Howard and Mitchell earned my votes as the clear most important players for their teams. Only Mitchell really has competition for this in pure 2026 production, with Clark, and I can absolutely see the argument for reversing them. I went with Mitchell largely due to offensive efficiency numbers (notably shooting accuracy) and an edge in defensive value. But it wasn’t an easy choice.
Rookie awards
You know what was an easy choice? Rookie of the Year. Again, win shares, imperfect stat, but: Olivia Miles checked in at 6.2. Only two other rookies even cracked 3, Pauline Astier and Lauren Betts. Azzi Fudd was fourth at 2.2. And the great what-might-have-been, Kiki Rice, is fifth at 1.5, despite injuries costing her about half the season. This is also my All-Rookie team, and Miles is atop it.
By the way, god bless you Sports-Reference, because I can look at rookies using Stathead, filtering for year of player career, and I can do the same for Sixth Player of the Year by filtering for those players who started half or fewer of their team’s games. That’s one of the few rules we get from the league. It’s a good rule!
Speaking of…
Sixth Player of the Year
There are plenty of excellent, impactful bench players in the WNBA. Han Xu is a vital part of New York’s attack. Makayla Timpson, who came off the bench for most of the season in Indiana, leads the league in effective field goal percentage. Lauren Betts, who Jackie Powell informed me is informally known as one of the “Young Hos”, is already fulfilling her limitless potential.
But what makes Golden State so dangerous is that they have, effectively, seven starters. In addition to the actual five, Tiffany Hayes and Janelle Salaün play as much as starters do and ultimately, it is Salaün who is my choice, with comparable efficiency to Hayes on more volume.
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
There are, it must be said, so many good people in this league. Choosing between a group filled with incredible individuals who helped build this league is always a massively difficult endeavor. And there’s part of me that thinks: wait, how can you not choose Nneka Ogwumike? She’s retiring!
I’m going with Rebecca Allen, who also says she is retiring, and hasn’t gotten nearly the same number of flowers as she does so. But there’s not a single nominee for this award I’d think twice about voting for, and more I’d have nominated who aren’t even on the list. Maybe that is the biggest reason I take this so seriously, try my best to get it right, and sit here with the humility of knowing it is impossible to provide plaudits to every single WNBA player who deserves it.
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Maya Goldberg-Safir is just doing something different. Read this. Always read Maya.
Enjoyed this deep dive into Olivia Miles’ rookie season.
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And Bella Munson captured the quiet growth of Mackenzie Holmes.
Five at The IX: New York Liberty
Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
