A’ja Wilson Earns 2025 Kia WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Award
LAS VEGAS (Sept. 18, 2025)—The WNBA announced today that Las Vegas Aces forward/center A’ja Wilson and Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith have been named the 2025 Kia Co-Defensive Players of the Year. The award, which was launched following the WNBA’s inaugural season, is Wilson’s third such honor, after also earning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 and 2023.
Wilson led the league in blocks per game (2.3) for the fourth season in a row and her fifth overall, while also finishing atop the league leaderboards in stocks, which combines the defensive measures of steals and blocks, with 3.9 per game, total stocks (156), defensive win shares (3.3) and defensive rating (96.0). She also capped the season ranked No. 2 in total blocks (92), No. 3 in total steals (64), defensive rebounds (7.9) and defensive rebound percentage (.249), and No. 4 in steals per game (1.6).
Further, Wilson is the third player in league history to lead the league in blocks in 3 or more seasons, trailing only Margo Dydek and Brittney Griner, who paced all shot blockers 8 times apiece.
Wilson is the only Defensive Player of the Year in franchise history and is the 8th player in league history to take home the award multiple times. Tamika Catchings owns the most D’POY awards with five, Sylvia Fowles earned it four times and Wilson joins Sheryl Swoopes as a three-time D’POY award winner.
Wilson and Smith received 29 votes each from a national panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters. Seattle Storm guard Gabby Williams finished in second place with nine votes, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was third with three and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier was fourth with two.
This marks the first time in W history that the Defensive Player of the Year has been shared by multiple athletes.
The 2025 All-Defensive Teams will be announced by the league Oct. 1, when Wilson is anticipated to earn a fifth WNBA All-Defensive Team selection, after being named to the first team in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the second team in 2020.
Las Vegas faces Seattle in a deciding Game 3 of the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs tonight at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. PT and air nationally on ESPN2.
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KIA WNBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS |
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| 1997 – Teresa Weatherspoon, New York 1998 – Teresa Weatherspoon, New York 1999 – Yolanda Griffith, Sacramento 2000 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston 2001 – Debbie Black, Miami 2002 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston 2003 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston 2004 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles 2005 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana 2006 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana |
2007 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle 2008 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles 2009 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana 2010 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana 2011 – Sylvia Fowles, Chicago 2012 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana 2013 – Sylvia Fowles, Chicago 2014 – Brittney Griner, Phoenix 2015 – Brittney Griner, Phoenix 2016 – Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota |
2017 – Alana Beard, Los Angeles 2018 – Alana Beard, Los Angeles 2019 – Natasha Howard, Seattle 2020 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles 2021 – Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota 2022 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas 2023 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas 2024 – Napheesa Collier, Minnesota 2025 – Alanna Smith, Minnesota (co-winner) 2025 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas (co-winner) |
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