WNBA awards 2025: Will Napheesa Collier win her first MVP? Can Paige Bueckers run away with Rookie of the Year?

WNBA awards season is upon us, and several of the major honors aren’t as clear-cut as they once seemed. Most Valuable Player once seemed like a lock for Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, but it’s become a historic, three-woman race, as A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas have made compelling cases. This year’s No. 1 pick, Paige Bueckers, isn’t necessarily a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year, and it’s anyone’s guess who will win Defensive Player of the Year.

Yahoo Sports’ Cassandra Negley and Maggie Hendricks make their choices and arguments below:

Most Valuable Player

Negley: Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury

Every option feels right. And every option feels wrong. It really is giving 2023 all over again.

A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas and Napheesa Collier all put up historic, never-been-done-before seasons. Wilson scored at least 30 points in 13 games and added at least 10 rebounds in a record 10 of them. The three-time MVP willed a historic Aces turnaround from playoff fringe to No. 2 seed. Thomas notched a triple-double eight times and is averaging nearly one on the year. As more of a point-forward, the Phoenix Mercury veteran impacts every part of the changing game and is doing it in a new location. And Collier finished off only the second 50/40/90 shooting season in league history, joining Elena Delle Donne’s 2019 MVP season. The forward propelled her team to the league’s best record, a title they held most of the year.

After waffling all week on which to choose, I opted in the final hour for Thomas since my philosophy is still the same as when I put her first on my ballot in 2023. Her contributions look different than those of Wilson and Collier, but the award is listed as most valuable, even if some would rather it be “best player.”

Thomas fits the bill, lifting the new-look Mercury to a fourth seed as the top player on the scouting report. (And she leads Kitchen Sink Win Probability Added (kWPA) by an even larger margin than that 2023 season).

Hendricks: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

It’s a special year when three different people could reasonably win this award, and every one of them is a reasonable pick. A’ja Wilson continues to show that when all is said and done, it’s likely she will be the best player to have ever worn a WNBA uniform. Alyssa Thomas’ versatility has helped the Mercury rise to the league’s elite. Napheesa Collier made history with that 50/40/90 shooting season. In most years, each one of these women could have been a runaway winner.

But Collier’s ability to lift her team, whether she is on the court or not, is what convinced me. She scored 22.9 points and grabbed 7.1 rebounds per game. When she was out with an injury, she continued to be a presence with her teammates. Minnesota is where they are — top seed with home court advantage throughout the playoffs — because of Collier. To me, that’s an MVP.

Rookie of the Year

Negley: Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics

Both Citron and Paige Bueckers entered their professional careers looking more like established veterans than rookies barely moved out of their college dorms. Despite Citron not being expected to contribute much for the Washington Mystics, she became one of the team’s leading scorers and an All-Star in Year 1. Her Mystics were in playoff contention until late, ultimately falling short after the trade of Brittney Sykes. Citron leads rookies with a 44.5 3-point percentage and ranks second in scoring at 14.9 points per game.

Hendricks: Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

Coming into her first WNBA season, Bueckers had just won an NCAA title and was one of the biggest stars of UConn’s championship. She had huge expectations waiting for her as the No. 1 pick in Dallas, and she smashed through those. She scored 19.5 points per game, ranking her fifth in the league among all players and first among rookies. Bueckers also led rookies in assists per game with 5.4. But the statistics don’t tell the whole story, as Bueckers was able to hit these big numbers while her Wings dealt with a laundry list of injuries. She was steady as her team went through turmoil, and that’s not easy for any player, especially a rookie.

Defensive Player of the Year

Negley: Alanna Smith, Minnesota Lynx

With the exception of her third-best 1.9 blocks per game, Smith doesn’t boast gaudy defensive stats. Yet, she’s constantly standing tall for the league’s best defense while being undersized as a center in this league. While missing reigning DPOY Naphessa Collier, Smith showcased how key she is to the Lynx defense in the regular-season series with New York.

“Alanna Smith is just incredible,” Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve said during the stretch of August games against New York. “You don’t come to a basketball game and go, ‘that’s not one of the best defensive players in the league.’ She’s just incredible in terms of how she impacts play, and what you have to think about when she’s in your area.”

Hendricks: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

It’s not just that Wilson has numbers, because she does. She leads the league in blocks per game with 2.3, and was second in rebounds per game with 10.2. Wilson is even in the top 10 in steals per game with 1.6. It’s that she plays defense in a terrifying, dominant manner, making her opponents think twice about even passing the ball into the paint when she’s on patrol. It’s that her blocks are so emphatic that you can feel them from the highest row in the biggest arenas in the W. Wilson’s defense is a delight to watch.

Natalie Nakase coached the expansion Golden State Valkyries to the playoffs in their first season. (Photo by Amanda Loman/Getty Images)

(Amanda Loman via Getty Images)

Coach of the Year

Negley: Natalie Nakase, Golden State Valkyries

Nakase has handled her first head coaching job with aplomb. Few believed an expansion team full of sixth- and seventh-players, sans a stellar free agency signing or a draft lottery pick, could compete for a playoff spot, let alone secure one. The Valkyries faced injuries and adversity, as did everyone else, and still defeated almost every other team in the league at least once. The defensive focus (99.6 rating is top-four) is the key.

Atlanta Dream first-year head coach Karl Smesko came in a close second for Coach of the Year for a franchise record in wins and a resurgence to the top of the standings.

Hendricks: Natalie Nakase, Golden State Valkyries

In her first year as a head coach in the WNBA, Nakase was given an expansion roster full of players seen as role players. She quickly helped each player shine, and Kayla Thornton even earned her first trip to the All-Star Game. When Thornton went down with a season-ending injury at the end of July, Nakase and the Valkyries could have folded. Instead, they went 8-5 in August to clinch a playoff spot.

Sixth Player of the Year

Negley: Natisha Hiedeman, Minnesota Lynx

Since Dream forward Naz Hillmon worked her way into the starting lineup over the season’s final quarter, Hiedeman feels more of a natural fit for this award. The guard makes a significant impact as a microwave off the bench for the league’s best offense. In multiple games down a ho-hum final stretch, Hiedeman hit dagger buckets and performed clutch plays to shift the momentum.

Hendricks: Natisha Hiedeman, Minnesota Lynx

The bench has been a huge part of the Lynx’s success, as they cruised to the top seed in the WNBA playoffs with a record of 34-10. Hiedeman is the first off the bench for Minnesota, and leads all bench players in points (9.1 per game) and assists (2.8 per game). She has found her groove in Minnesota as one half of the StudBudz, and has shown in every game how her team can count on her.

Most Improved Player

Negley: Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries

The Northwestern alumna has come a long way in her game since performing spot duties on defense and being waived by the Wings in 2024. Her eight assists per 40 minutes rank fourth, she’s more efficient inside the arc and she has three games of at least 10 assists with zero turnovers. Her growth leading the offense pushed the Valkyries to history.

Hendricks: Kayla Thornton, Golden State Valkyries

Yes, Thornton only played in half of her team’s 44 games before she went down with a season-ending knee injury, but I cannot ignore the jump she made in those 22 games. After being known mostly for her defense in Washington, Dallas and New York, Thornton rounded out her game and jumped up in scoring, going from 5.5 to 14 points per game. She made her first All-Star Game in her 10th season in the league. She made a huge mark despite playing only half the season.

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