A’ja Wilson, Alanna Smith share WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Honors

The WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award has made history in 2025, with A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx named co-winners. It is the first time since the award’s creation in 1997 that two players have shared the honor, underlining just how dominant both stars were throughout the season.

Wilson and Smith finished level with 29 votes each from a panel of 72 media members, leaving them inseparable in the race for the league’s top defensive prize.

Wilson’s Defensive Legacy Grows

For Wilson, this marks her third Defensive Player of the Year award in four seasons (2022, 2023, and now 2025). The three-time WNBA champion continues to cement her reputation as one of the league’s all-time great defenders.

• League leader in blocks: 2.3 per game
• Third in defensive rebounds: 7.9 per game
• Fourth in steals: 1.6 per game

With this recognition, Wilson joins elite company. She is now tied with Sheryl Swoopes for third-most DPOY awards in league history. Only Sylvia Fowles (four) and Tamika Catchings (five) stand ahead of her on the all-time leaderboard.

Smith makes history with Minnesota Lynx

For Alanna Smith, the honor marks a breakthrough in her WNBA career and highlights her crucial role in turning the Lynx into the league’s best defensive unit.

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• Ranked second in combined steals and blocks: 135
• Finished third in blocks per game: 1.9
• Recorded 80 total blocks across the season

Smith’s emergence adds to Minnesota’s growing defensive reputation. The Lynx were already the WNBA’s stingiest team, allowing just 97.5 points per 100 possessions. She also follows teammate Napheesa Collier, who won the award outright in 2024, making Minnesota the first franchise to have different players win in consecutive years.

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What the shared Award means for the MVP Race

Interestingly, both Wilson and Collier remain frontrunners for the 2025 WNBA MVP award, which will be announced on Sunday. Some analysts suggest the defensive voting split may hint at another close race for the league’s most prestigious individual honor.

The Lynx will enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed, while Wilson’s Aces finished second, setting up the possibility of a high-stakes showdown between the league’s two best teams later in the playoffs.

Final Voting Breakdown

Wilson and Smith’s dominance was clear in the final tally.

• A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces): 29 votes
• Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx): 29 votes
• Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm): 9 votes
• Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury): 3 votes
• Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx): 2 votes

Together, Wilson and Smith outpaced the rest of the field, further proving their defensive influence this season.

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The 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award not only highlights the brilliance of A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith but also underscores the evolving narrative of defense in women’s basketball. With both players anchoring the top two seeds in the playoffs, fans could be set for a showdown where defense once again decides who lifts the championship trophy.