Why Napheesa Collier is the easy choice for MVP

The WNBA play began conscionable implicit 3 weeks ago. Some teams person played lone 7 of their 44 regular-season games.

But it's ne'er excessively aboriginal to instrumentality banal of the candidates for MVP, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and respective different end-of-season honors.

Plenty is astatine involvement successful these races. Might A'ja Wilson triumph a league-record 4th MVP grant and 2nd straight? Will Napheesa Collier snag her first? Is No. 1 prime Paige Bueckers connected way to beryllium Rookie of the Year, oregon volition Washington Mystics rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron play spoiler?

The Most Improved Player and Sixth Player of the Year debates are precise fluid this aboriginal successful the season. Does Coach of the Year spell to the coaches of the ascendant New York Liberty oregon Minnesota Lynx, oregon possibly 1 of the 8 coaches successful the league who person been successful their existent positions for astatine slightest 2 years?

ESPN's sheet voted connected the six large awards. We volition beryllium updating this tracker passim the play arsenic front-runners and challenges change.

Jump to:
MVP | Rookie of Year | Defensive Player of Year
Most Improved | Sixth Player | Coach of Year

MVP

Kendra Andrews: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Kevin Pelton: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Alexa Philippou: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Michael Voepel: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

ESPN's front-runner: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

In the past 12 months, Collier helped the Lynx triumph the Commissioner's Cup final, earned her 2nd Olympic golden medal, was WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, played successful her archetypal WNBA Finals and co-founded a 3-on-3 pro league.

Now, the 6-foot-1 guardant for the undefeated Lynx (the Liberty are besides unbeaten) is connected way to triumph her archetypal WNBA MVP. She leads the league successful scoring mean (25.5) and is tied for 5th successful rebounding (8.9), tied for archetypal successful steals (2.3) and tied for seventh successful blocks (1.4).

Collier, 28, besides averages 3.5 assists and shoots 52.5% wide and 90.7% from the escaped propulsion line. All those are vocation bests, arsenic are her scoring and steals averages.

It's early, but close present @PHEEsespieces is starring the @WNBA MVP conversation. Why? See graphic below. (For context: nary subordinate has ever led the league successful scoring with a 50-40-90 ratio 7 games into the season.) Research: @jlacroix14 Graphic: @juliana_sherry pic.twitter.com/zMTAygyRww

Last season, Collier finished 2nd successful MVP voting down A'ja Wilson. Even though Wilson was a unanimous choice, Collier was 2nd connected each but 1 ballot. That momentum has carried implicit into 2025 arsenic she has go the favorite.

Top challenger: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

In 2024, Wilson joined Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes arsenic the lone three-time MVPs successful WNBA history. She mightiness person acceptable the barroom excessively precocious for herself to triumph a grounds 4th MVP.

Last season, Wilson finished with vocation bests successful points (a WNBA single-season grounds 26.9), rebounds (11.9) and blocks (2.6). After winning 2 WNBA titles successful a row, the Aces mislaid to eventual champion New York successful the semifinals.

This season, Las Vegas has had an up-and-down commencement astatine 4-3. But Wilson is averaging 22.0 points and 9.9 rebounds, portion besides having vocation highs successful assists (3.9) and steals (2.0). -- Voepel

Rookie of the Year

Andrews: Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Pelton: Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Philippou: Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Voepel: Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics

ESPN's front-runner: Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics

The No. 4 prime successful April's draught has started accelerated arsenic a pro, shooting a higher percent (51%) than she did arsenic a elder astatine USC (50%). Per GeniusIQ tracking, Iriafen leads the WNBA successful shots made and attempted successful the restricted country astir the basket. Many of those person travel disconnected 2nd chances. Iriafen is adjacent to averaging a double-double (14.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg), thing conscionable 3 existent rookies successful league past person done: Tina Charles, Cheryl Ford and Angel Reese.

Despite scoring and rebounding numbers, Iriafen hasn't made overmuch interaction arsenic a passer (0.9 APG) oregon with blocks oregon steals (a combined 5 this season). But Iriafen's businesslike scoring and domination connected the solid inactive marque her the apical rookie.

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Washington Mystics vs. Connecticut Sun - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Washington Mystics vs. Connecticut Sun, 06/08/2025

Top challengers: Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics; Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

Iriafen's toughest contention has been her teammate. Citron, the No. 3 pick, is averaging 14.0 points portion shooting 48.9% overall, 40.5% from 3-point scope and 89.3% from the escaped propulsion line. No. 1 prime Bueckers mightiness marque a propulsion for the grant erstwhile she's backmost successful the lineup aft missing 3 games due to the fact that of a concussion and different due to the fact that of illness. Bueckers was astatine 14.7 points and 6.7 assists earlier the injury. Only Caitlin Clark and Skylar Diggins person averaged much than 10 points and six assists arsenic rookies. The 4 games Bueckers has missed correspond 40% of the team's schedule, but they'll beryllium little than 10% by season's end. -- Pelton

Defensive Player of the Year

Andrews: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Pelton: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Philippou: Natasha Cloud, New York Liberty
Voepel: Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty

ESPN's front-runner: Natasha Cloud, New York Liberty

The Liberty's defence has been amended this play (league-best antiaircraft standing of 88.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) than successful the team's title tally past twelvemonth (95.3), a singular feat considering New York mislaid 2 of its toughest defenders successful Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee injury) and Kayla Thornton (expansion draft) successful the offseason.

Cloud, a three-time all-defensive squad enactment astatine constituent defender whom the Liberty acquired for 2 first-round picks, has agelong been lauded for her defense. In 8 games this season, her perimeter defence and infectious tenacity person made the Liberty adjacent much potent. New York's antiaircraft standing is 11.1 points per 100 possessions amended with her connected the tribunal (83.8) than disconnected it (94.9). Frontcourt players person dominated the DPOY grant successful caller years, but volition Cloud subordinate the trend?

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Cloud's dagger layup helps Liberty enactment undefeated

Natasha Cloud speeds to the rack for a layup to assistance seal Liberty's triumph and enactment undefeated.

Top challengers: Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty; Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx; A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

It isn't shocking that aggregate Liberty players earned consideration. Jones, the 2024 Finals MVP and a four-time all-defensive squad selection, has helped anchor New York's top-ranked defense. Collier, the reigning DPOY, does it each for the Lynx. And Wilson, a two-time DPOY, continues to basal retired adjacent arsenic the Aces, whose antiaircraft standing ranks eighth successful the league, person struggled. -- Philippou

Most Improved Player

Andrews: Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Pelton: Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Philippou: Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Voepel: Lexie Hull, Indiana Fever

ESPN's front-runner: Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream

Gray is an Olympic golden medalist, yet 9 years into her WNBA career, she is taking her crippled to a caller level successful manager Karl Smesko's system. She's averaging a career-high 20.1 points (fifth successful the WNBA), astir 5 much than past season, and is shooting 48.1% overall.

Gray has embraced Smesko's system, and her perimeter shooting is thriving. She is shooting a career-high 42.9% from beyond the arc aft hitting conscionable 34.2% of her attempts past season. She's averaging a career-high 6.6 shots from 3-point range.

In summation to becoming 1 of the champion scoring threats for Atlanta, Gray is averaging a career-best 4.5 assists and has been integral to the Dream's success.

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Allisha Gray drops 25 to powerfulness Dream to 3rd consecutive win

Allisha Gray scores a team-high 25 points to pb the Dream past the Sparks.

Top challengers: Natasha Cloud, New York Liberty; Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever; Azura Stevens, Los Angeles Sparks; Lexie Hull, Indiana Fever

Cloud has besides thrived with her caller team, shooting 6% amended (45.9%) wide than past season. She leads each guards who person played astatine slightest 25 minutes successful nett standing (32.3) and violative standing (116.2) and ranks 2nd successful antiaircraft standing (83.8).

Stevens, who is successful her 3rd play with the Sparks, is much progressive successful the offense, attempting implicit 2 much shots per crippled than a twelvemonth ago. She's much efficient, too, shooting 51.1% overall, a monolithic leap from 39.9% successful 2024. She's besides averaging a career-best 1.7 steals.

The Fever person struggled portion Caitlin Clark recovers from a quad injury. In Clark's absence, Boston is averaging implicit 5 assists, a large leap from her 3.8 play mean and astir treble what she averaged past season. In a career-high 29.5 minutes this season, Hull is averaging vocation bests successful points (10.5, astir treble from 2024), rebounds (4.3) and tract extremity percent (53.2%, up from 44.1% successful 2024). -- Andrews

Sixth Player of the Year

Andrews: Kennedy Burke, New York Liberty
Pelton: Kennedy Burke, New York Liberty
Philippou: Jessica Shepard, Minnesota Lynx
Voepel: Natisha Hiedeman, Minnesota Lynx

ESPN's front-runner: Kennedy Burke, New York Liberty

Despite losing apical playoff reserves Kayla Thornton and Courtney Vandersloot, some of whom claimed starting jobs elsewhere, the Liberty's seat inactive ranks 3rd successful scoring and tops successful tract extremity and 3-point percentages. Burke's accumulation has been key. She's averaging a career-high 9.3 points and has changeable a sizzling 16-of-27 (59%) from beyond the arc.

Beyond the violative production, Burke has stepped into Thornton's relation arsenic the team's stopper disconnected the bench, guarding aggregate positions. Those contributions fig to past adjacent if Burke's 3-point shooting regresses to her vocation 35% accuracy.

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Kennedy Burke with the past handbasket of the period

Kennedy Burke with the past handbasket of the period, 06/05/2025

Top challengers: Natisha Heideman, Minnesota Lynx; Jessica Shepard, Minnesota Lynx

The Lynx person shrugged disconnected losing Cecilia Zandalasini to the enlargement draught and Dorka Juhasz's determination to beryllium retired the season. Shepard has replaced Juhasz arsenic Minnesota's backup center, playing astir arsenic galore minutes arsenic starter Alanna Smith portion shooting 58% wide and ranking 2nd to Collier with 7.1 rebounds. In her 2nd twelvemonth with the Lynx, Heideman has seen much minutes and is averaging 8.8 points -- much than she averaged arsenic a full-time starter with the Connecticut Sun successful 2023.

Unlike cardinal Seattle Storm reserve Erica Wheeler, who could play her mode into the starting lineup, the reserves connected Minnesota and New York volition apt support their roles passim the play due to the fact that of those teams' loaded rosters. -- Pelton

Coach of the Year

Andrews: Sandy Brondello, New York Liberty
Pelton: Sandy Brondello, New York Liberty
Philippou: Nate Tibbetts, Phoenix Mercury
Voepel: Nate Tibbetts, Phoenix Mercury

ESPN's front-runner: Nate Tibbetts, Phoenix Mercury

Should coaches connected teams expected to play good beryllium rewarded? Or should voters thin toward coaches whose teams are overachieving? Neither prime is wrong, but the motion goes to Tibbetts, whose 6-4 Mercury person the second-most wins down Minnesota and New York. Phoenix is doing this contempt near-total roster turnover, including losing longtime faces of the franchise Diana Taurasi (retirement) and Brittney Griner (left successful escaped bureau for Atlanta).

Only 2 players instrumentality from past season's Mercury -- starring scorer Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack -- but neither has played this twelvemonth due to the fact that of injuries. Also, Alyssa Thomas (calf) has missed the past 5 games successful her archetypal play successful Phoenix. Still, Tibbetts and the Mercury person had success, led by Satou Sabally (20.5 ppg) and respective players who are successful their archetypal play successful the WNBA but person pro acquisition overseas.

Top challengers: Sandy Brondello, New York Liberty; Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx; Karl Smesko, Atlanta Dream

It's hard to abstracted Brondello and Reeve due to the fact that some of their teams are unbeaten. Reeve has won this grant 4 times, including past season. Brondello won successful 2014 with Phoenix. Those 2 person been entrenched successful the WNBA for astir of the league's history. Smesko is successful his archetypal play aft leaving his longtime assemblage occupation astatine FGCU. He has already had a large interaction connected the Dream. They were the lowest-scoring squad successful the WNBA past season, and present they're 3rd successful points per game. -- Voepel