A’ja Wilson and Paige Bueckers Shine at WNBA Awards
A’ja Wilson continues to dominate the WNBA, securing the AP Player of the Year award for the second consecutive time. The Las Vegas Aces star surpassed Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier and Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, who also had outstanding seasons.Wilson was also recognized as the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four seasons. The WNBA will announce its postseason awards during the playoffs, which begin on Sunday. Wilson is a strong candidate to win the WNBA MVP award for the second consecutive season. Paige Bueckers was honored as the AP Rookie of the Year. The No. 1 pick of the Dallas Wings averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists in her first season, including a 44-point performance, the highest score of the season in the WNBA.She has worked hard and passes all the tests, the math tests, the optical tests. She is the most exciting player in the W. And she is also the most exciting player on the defensive side. She will do something once per game defensively that will get you out of your seat. She is the only player in this league that I have seen who consistently has outstanding defensive plays.
Becky Hammon, Aces coach
Bueckers was joined on the AP All-Rookie team by Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen from Washington, Leila Lacan from Connecticut, Janelle Salaun from Golden State, and Dominique Malonga from Seattle. Wilson, Collier, and Thomas headlined the AP’s first All-WNBA team, being unanimously selected. They were joined by Allisha Gray of Atlanta and Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana. Sabrina Ionescu from New York, Bueckers, Nneka Ogwumike from Seattle, Kelsey Plum from Los Angeles, and Jackie Young from Las Vegas were included in the second team.I am very grateful for everyone who voted and saw me fit for the Rookie of the Year award. I have always felt that individual awards are a way of recognizing the team around you and that is exactly what this award means to me. My teammates, coaches, support staff and everyone, from top to bottom, in the entire Dallas Wings organization, played a very important role in this.
Paige Bueckers
Other AP awards
- Coach of the Year: Natalie Nakase, who led Golden State to the playoffs in the expansion team’s inaugural season.
- Most Improved Player: Shakira Austin, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds this season.
- Most Improved Player: Veronica Burton, who averaged career highs in points (11.9), assists (6.0), rebounds (4.4), and minutes (29.4).
- Sixth Woman of the Year: Naz Hillmon, who averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds to help Atlanta secure third place in the postseason.
