Jessica Shepard got her flowers, as the Dallas Wings breakout star won 2026 Most Improved Player after taking 29 of 74 votes from the WNBA’s national media panel.
Debuting with Dallas after five years in Minnesota, Shepard averaged a career-high 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists — up from 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2025 — while joining Atlanta’s Angel Reese as the only players to average a double-double.
She edged Washington’s Shakira Austin (25 votes) and Portland’s Carla Leite (11) for the highly contested end-of-year nod, which comes with a $15,000 cash prize.
Shepard did numbers in Dallas, tallying six triple-doubles after entering the season with just one — good for the second-most in league history.
Her 467 rebounds ranked second on the all-time single-season list behind Reese’s 521, teeing up her first All-Star selection and AP MIP honors.
“I knew what I was capable of doing,” she told The Athletic. “But, obviously, it takes the right situation to be able to show that.”
