For the first time in WNBA History, two players will be sharing the Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The WNBA announced its winner of the DPOY on Thursday, and shockingly did not give the award to A'ja Wilson or Alanna Smith. Instead they gave it to both of them.
Minnestoa Lynx forward Alanna Smith and Las Vegas Aces Center A'ja Wilson each received 29 first-place votes, showing how impressive both women are at defending their own basket.
Smith is credited for his first DPOY award, while Wilson wins her third. Wilson is also the third Lynx player to win the award after Sylvia Fowles, and her current teammate Napheesa Collier.
The 29-year-old Australian averaged 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game with the Lynx who owned the best record in the league in 2025. She also finished with defensive rating of 97.5 which was the best mark in the WNBA.
Minnesota's guard Kayla McBride said that Smith is the "most underrated for what she does."
After missing out of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, Smith got the credit she deserved by taking home Co-DPOY honors.
On the other side of the trophy, A'ja Wilson is not considered underrated. Wilson has won two DPOY awards and three league MVPs.
At 6'4, Wilson averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals to go with 10.2 rebounds a game in her eighth season in the WNBA.
Unlike Smith, A'ja entered the league as a defensive centerpiece. She averaged 1.7 blocks a game in just her rookie year, and only fell below that mark in one of her eight season in the league.
The 2025 WNBA MVP will be announced on Sunday, September 21, and Wilson is definitely in the running to win her fourth, and all but guaranteed to be an All-WNBA first-team selection for the fifth time when it is announced on October 7.
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