Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson were named 2025 WNBA co-Defensive Players of the Year, the league announced Thursday. This is the first time in league history that two players have shared this honor.
This is the first major award for Smith, while Wilson is now a three-time DPOY, joining Sheryl Swoopes (three), Sylvia Fowles (four) and Tamika Catchings (five) as the only players to earn the top defensive award three-plus times.
Smith and Wilson both received 29 votes from a panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters. Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (nine), Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (three) and Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (two) also received votes.
Despite being a big undersized at 6-foot-4, Smith’s ability to take on bigger matchups, protect the rim and always be in the right place as a help defender has been vital to the Lynx’s success over the past two seasons. Smith’s presence was especially important this season when Collier missed 11 games due to injury.
Even without Collier for a quarter of the season, the Lynx still had a league-best 97.5 defensive rating, finished first in opponent free-throw rate and second in opponent turnover rate. Their dominance on that end helped them go 34-10, tie the league’s single-season wins record and earn the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Smith, for her part, averaged 1.3 steals and a career-high 1.9 blocks, the latter of which was good for third in the league.
“Lan’s our anchor to what we do defensively,” Lynx forward Bridget Carleton said earlier this season. “We know as guards we can get under pressure and make things difficult for closing guards because we have them behind us, and Lan is playing against some of the biggest bigs in the league, as undersized as she is, and she still makes it hard for them.”
Unlike the Lynx, the Aces were not a great defensive team for much of the season. While they improved significantly during their historic 16-game winning streak down the stretch, they still finished eighth in the league with a defensive rating of 101.9 — the worst mark of any playoff team.
Wilson, though, was individually brilliant. She led the league in blocks for the fourth consecutive season with 2.3 per game, and added 1.6 steals, which was good for fourth. Collier was the only other player in the top-five in both blocks and steals.
Notably, the Aces had a 98.8 defensive rating with Wilson on the floor and a 105.3 defensive rating when she sat. That was the difference between being being the second-best defense when she played and the 10th-best defense when she did not.
