ESPN picks A'ja Wilson for fifth WNBA MVP, Miles for ROY — SkimNews
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- A'ja Wilson swept all four ESPN panelists' votes for MVP, putting her on track to become the first five-time WNBA MVP — a tier the source compares to Wayne Gretzky (9 NHL Harts), Barry Bonds (7 MLB MVPs), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 NBA MVPs) and Peyton Manning (5 NFL MVPs).
- Olivia Miles was the unanimous Rookie of the Year pick and ESPN's MVP runner-up, averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds for the league-best Lynx while setting the WNBA rookie scoring record and winning every Rookie of the Month award.
- Gabby Williams drew three of four votes for Defensive Player of the Year as the anchor of the Valkyries' league-best defense (74.8 points allowed per game); Michael Voepel was the lone dissenter, picking Angel Reese, who leads the WNBA in defensive win shares (3.2).
- Jessica Shepard earned ESPN's Most Improved Player nod and is on pace to become the first WNBA player to average at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a season, pacing the league with five triple-doubles and ranking second with 23 double-doubles for Dallas.
- Janelle Salaun ran away with Sixth Player of the Year, averaging 12.9 points in 22.9 minutes off the bench for Golden State while shooting 39.7% from three on 6.1 attempts per game — the best mark among bench players averaging at least five three-point tries.
- Cheryl Reeve was the unanimous Coach of the Year pick after guiding a Lynx roster that started with just two holdovers and played without Napheesa Collier for much of the season to the league's best record and a shot at the No. 1 playoff seed.
- Wilson leads the WNBA this season in scoring (26.1 PPG), blocks (2.0), player efficiency rating (32.4) and win shares (8.6), and ranks fourth in rebounding at 9.3 per game — production she maintained despite back issues that kept her out of the FIBA World Cup.
Why it matters: Wilson's potential fifth MVP would put her in the Gretzky/Bonds/Abdul-Jabbar/Manning tier of five-plus-time league MVPs — but the more surprising storyline is that ESPN's MVP runner-up is a ROOKIE in Olivia Miles. Only Candace Parker has ever won both awards in the same season (2008), and official ballots are due Friday.
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