AFCON 2025
For the first time in WNBA history, the Defensive Player of the Year award has been shared. On Thursday, the league announced that Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson have been named co-winners of the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, each receiving 29 votes from a panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters.
The unprecedented tie reflects two dominant but different defensive forces.
Smith, in her first season with Minnesota, anchored a defense that finished with the league’s best rating (97.5).
She ranked among the WNBA’s elite shot-blockers, finishing with 80 on the year, while also posting 135 combined steals and blocks—second most in the league. Her consistency across 42 games turned the Lynx into the toughest team to score against.
Wilson, meanwhile, added another jewel to her growing crown, winning the award for the third time after previously claiming it in 2022 and 2023. The Aces forward once again showcased her all-around dominance, leading the league in blocks per game (2.3), defensive rebounds (316), and overall rebounds (407).
She also finished first in combined steals and blocks (156), proving once again why she’s considered one of the greatest defenders in WNBA history.
“This recognition means so much, and to share it makes it even more special,” Wilson said in a statement. Smith, collecting her first major award, called the honor “a credit to our team defense and the culture we’ve built in Minnesota.”
Since its inception in 1997, the Defensive Player of the Year trophy had always gone to a single player. The 2025 season will be remembered as the one that rewrote that tradition, underscoring how the WNBA continues to evolve in both style and competition.
