Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson had herself a weekend, adding 2025 All-WNBA First Team honors to her stacked resume mere hours before winning her third league title on Friday.
Joining the Las Vegas Aces star was fellow unanimous First Team selectee Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), as the pair logged their fourth and third straight years, respectively, on the list.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell also earned spots on the elite roster.
Headlining the 2025 Second Team is Seattle Storm forward and eight-time All-WNBA selectee Nneka Ogwumike alongside Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and a trio of standout guards: the Aces' Jackie Young, the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu, and the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers.
The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year isn't the only All-WNBA debutant, with Gray, Mitchell, and Boston joining Bueckers in earning their first-ever league-wide nods.
All WNBA athletes, regardless of their position, are eligible for All-WNBA selection, and voting media members determine the honorary squads.
Players earn five points for each First Team vote and three for every Second Team tally, with the league's top five players via points snagging the First roster and the next five featuring as the Second squad.
Along with the All-WNBA titles, this year's honorees are also cashing in, with each member of the 2025 First Team snagging a $10,300 bonus while the Second Team players take home checks for $5,150 each.
The WNBA released its 2025 All-Defensive Teams on Wednesday, delaying the announcement more than a week amid the fallout from the viral takedown of league leadership by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier.
Collier herself headlines the First Team, with Lynx teammate Alanna Smith, Phoenix Mercury standout Alyssa Thomas, Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams, and the Las Vegas Aces' four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson joining the Minnesota star on the 2025 WNBA All-Defensive roster.
Second Team honors went to Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston, the Golden State Valkyries' 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player Veronica Burton, Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard, Seattle Storm forward Ezi Magbegor, and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart.
The WNBA's first-ever co-Defensive Player of the Year award-winners Wilson and Smith put up leading individual stats throughout the 2025 season, with Wilson averaging a league-high 2.3 blocks along with 7.9 defensive rebounds per game while Smith averaged a team-high 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.
Collier averaged 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, contributing to Minnesota's league-best 97.5 defensive rating, while Williams tied for the second-most single-season steals with 99 — just one short of WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon's 1998 record.
In her debut year with the Mercury, Thomas became the first-ever WNBA player to average 15+ points, 8+ rebounds, 9+ assists, and 1+ steals per game while shooting over 50% from the field.
This year's Second Team featured three first-ever selections, with Boston, Burton, and Howard all making their All-Defensive Team debuts.
Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover made history on Tuesday, winning a record third WNBA Executive of the Year award after his revamped roster finished the 2025 regular season with a 30-14 record — doubling the team's 2024 win total.
Along with his two previous wins while leading the Las Vegas Aces in 2020 and 2021, this week's award puts Padover just ahead of Minnesota Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve, who snagged the honor in 2019 and 2024.
En route to this season's award, Padover proved instrumental in signing game-changing players like center Brittney Griner and forward Brionna Jones to join the Atlanta Dream during the offseason.
The fourth-year Atlanta Dream GM also brought in fresh coaching talent by tapping this season's winningest first-year head coach, Karl Smesko — a bold move considering Smesko had no professional coaching experience before Padover handed him the Dream's reins.
"The organization as a whole, it's in a great direction," Atlanta guard Allisha Gray said after Atlanta's first-round exit from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs. "We proved a lot of people wrong this year."
The Dream finished the 2025 regular season in third place, jumping from 12th to second in offensive rating (108.2), sixth to second in defensive rating (98.9), and 12th to third in assists per game (21.4) year-over-year.
Las Vegas star A'ja Wilson is the 2025 WNBA MVP, with the league announcing Sunday that the Aces forward earned her fourth career MVP award to set a new WNBA record.
Wilson received 51 of the media panel's 72 first-place votes, beating out fellow 2025 MVP finalists Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), and Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever).
"These are the moments that I'm like, 'No, this is why you wake up every morning and do what you do,'" Wilson said upon receiving the award.
Previously named MVP in 2020, 2022, and 2024, Wilson's new 2025 trophy officially puts her ahead of retired WNBA legends and three-time winners Sheryl Swoopes, Lauren Jackson, and Lisa Leslie on the career MVP list.
Meanwhile, this year's win has Wilson joining former WNBA icon Cynthia Cooper as the league's second-ever back-to-back MVP.
En route to making history, the 29-year-old led the league in average points (23.4) and blocks per game (2.3) on the year, finishing second in rebounds per game (10.2) while playing much of the season's second half out of position as the the Aces' starting center.
"There's no Mt. Rushmore," Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon told Wilson. "You are the only one — you're Everest."
The 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year race ended in a tie on Thursday, as dominant seasons at both ends of the court saw Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson and Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith each receive 29 of the media panel's 72 total votes.
After finishing first this season in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156), Wilson became just the fourth player in WNBA history named Defensive Player of the Year at least three times — adding this year's title to her previous 2022 and 2023 honors.
As for Smith, who picked up the award for the first time this year, the Lynx star ranked second overall in combined steals and blocks (135), third in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for 10th in total steals (55) on the season.
Also snagging votes were Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, who came in second with nine votes, as well as Phoenix Mercury triple-double phenom Alyssa Thomas and fellow Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who received three and two votes, respectively.
The win by both Wilson and Smith marks the first time in history that the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honor has ended in a tie, reflecting both the top-notch level of talent on display across the league as well as the hyper-competitive nature of the 2025 end-of-year awards race on display across multiple categories.
Next up on the league's awards docket is Saturday's Sixth Player of the Year announcement, followed by the highly anticipated reveal of the 2025 WNBA MVP on Sunday.
Despite falling from the playoffs on Wednesday night, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is still ending her season on a win, with the WNBA naming the first-year expansion team sideline boss the 2025 Coach of the Year this week.
Nakase picked up 53 out of the sports media panel's 72 votes to take the title, with fellow sideline rookie Karl Smesko (Atlanta Dream) trailing with 15 votes while veteran leaders Becky Hammon (Las Vegas Aces) and Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) tied for third place with two votes apiece.
"What this does, is it reflects on [our] whole organization," said Nakase, sharing credit with her team and staff. "Without [the players], we wouldn't have had a winning season and we wouldn't be where I am today now."
Golden State made WNBA expansion history under Nakase
In leading Golden State to a 23-21 regular season — a league record for wins by an expansion team in their first campaign — Nakase also minted the Valkyries as the first-ever expansion franchise to make the WNBA Playoffs in their debut season.
That success came from the team's strong defense, as the Valkyries held opponents to a league-wide low in both points per game (76.3) and field goal percentage (40.5%) on the year.
Before joining the Valkyries, Nakase served as an assistant coach in Las Vegas, helping guide the Aces to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.
"Natalie has been a fierce leader from the very moment she was announced as head coach," said Golden State GM Ohemaa Nyanin. "Her core philosophy of connectivity and emphasis on high character has created an environment where everyone can thrive. Her unique approach to leadership and ability to hold players accountable with care while staying true to her values has been remarkable."
"I love playing for a fiery coach who always wants to win and believes in her players so much," said Valkyries — and former Aces — guard Kate Martin.
Paige Bueckers is the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced early Tuesday, as the Dallas Wings guard becomes the fifth consecutive No. 1 draft pick to win the award.
Bueckers is the first Wings player to earn the honor since Allisha Gray in 2017, finishing the 2025 season averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and shooting 47.4% from the field.
The 23-year-old was the only player this season to finish in the Top 10 league-wide in points, assists, and steals per game — all while becoming the fastest rookie in WNBA history to notch 500 points and 100 assists.
While the conversation around the Class of 2025 included several high performers, the Rookie of the Year vote proved to be near unanimous, with Bueckers receiving 70 of the sports media panel's 72 votes.
The remaining two votes went to Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron.
While the race tightened as Citron heated up mid-season, Bueckers's August 20th rookie-record 44-point performance against the LA Sparks likely shut the door to any challengers.
"I know that we continue to do things the right way, we continue to believe in each other, continue to invest our whole lives into this basketball thing, the results will come," Bueckers told reporters after Dallas ended the season with a 10-34 record — securing the highest odds for next year's No. 1 draft pick.
Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is in the books, with the top two seeds putting up more than 100 points each in blowout wins when the postseason tipped off on Sunday.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx opened the playoffs' eight-team first round with a 101-72 drubbing of the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, as MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier led scoring with 20 points while guard Natisha Hiedeman added 18 off the bench.
Elsewhere, the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces' 102-77 victory over the No. 7 Seattle Storm capped Sunday's slate, with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leading the way with 29 points alongside double-digit performances off the bench from guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.
The lower seeds walked away less unscathed, as Valkyries boss and Coach of the Year favorite Natalie Nakase picked up a technical foul for arguing a call in the game's second half.
"I want a fair fight, I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out," she said afterwards, criticizing Sunday's officiating. "They're fighting. But I would like it to be fair."
"I understand it, but it's the playoffs," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said in response. "Obviously, we fouled a lot at the end. But I didn't think that was a factor in the game."
How to watch the top seeds in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs
Both Minnesota and Las Vegas are now one win away from advancing to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals.
The No. 2 Aces will look to sweep the No. 7 Storm at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.
Then on Wednesday, the No. 1 Lynx will try to silence the No. 8 Valkyries at 10 PM ET, with live coverage also on ESPN.
With the regular season all wrapped up, the WNBA Rookie of the Year race is coming down to the wire as the best of the league's Class of 2025 — Paige Bueckers and Sonia Citron — steps into the spotlight.
Dallas Wings guard and 2025 No. 1 draft pick Bueckers leads her class in points per game, with her 19.2 average ranking fifth league-wide.
Bueckers is also responsible for the WNBA's only 40+ point performance this season, tallying a rookie-record 44 points against the LA Sparks last month.
Despite her dominance, Bueckers is not without peer competition, with Washington Mystics guard Citron giving the former UConn standout a run for her money this year.
Citron is one of just three first-years — including Bueckers — to score at least 650 points with a true shooting percentage above 55%, with the Notre Dame alum also breaking rookie team records in both points and three-pointers.
"I wouldn't say there's an award or milestone I'm most proud of," Citron said last week. "I'm just proud of the team, the program, and how we've continued to fight and just grow together."
Bueckers's grip on the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year title is likely undeniable, but the rest of the cohort's proven ability to push the young star only bodes well for the future of the class — and the league.
The best and brightest of the 2025 WNBA season have just one week left to pad their resumes ahead of the league's end-of-year awards — and the MVP race is tighter than ever.
Unanimous 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson has emerged as the season's hottest hand post-All-Star break, with the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces powerhouse facing competition from No. 1 Minnesota Lynx standout Napheesa Collier and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas.
Posting a near-50-40-90 efficiency through the first half of 2025, Collier appeared to be the consensus WNBA MVP frontrunner, but Wilson gained speed in the race after the Lynx leader suffered an early-August ankle injury.
With Collier on the bench, Wilson outpaced the Lynx star to top the WNBA in both points (23.8) and blocks per game (2.2) while sitting second in average rebounds (10.1).
Wilson also owns this season's head-to-head advantage, scoring 31 points to Collier's 12 in Las Vegas' 97-87 victory over Minnesota last week.
Thomas is also making history this year, leading the WNBA in assists per game (9.2) while extending her league-record career triple-double tally to 18 by posting a single-season record of seven on the season so far.
"She's going to rebound, she's going to dish, she's going to score, she's going to defend. I think that's the definition of MVP," Phoenix veteran DeWanna Bonner said about Thomas this week.
How to watch the 2025 WNBA MVP frontrunners on Tuesday
Wilson, Collier, and Thomas will all put a stamp on their seasons this week, hitting Tuesday's court before wrapping up the 2025 WNBA regular-season on Thursday.
Collier and the No. 1 Lynx will contend with the No. 7 Indiana Fever at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
Both Wilson's No. 3 Aces and Thomas's No. 4 Mercury will be in action at 10 PM ET, as Las Vegas takes on the No. 12 Chicago Sky on WNBA League Pass while Phoenix faces the No. 9 LA Sparks, airing live on NBA TV.