Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The WNBA awards landscape at the All-Star break features several tight races and a few clear favorites emerging from the season's first half.
- Gabby Williams leads a fiercely contested Defensive Player of the Year battle while Jessica Shepard appears poised for Most Improved honors.
- One award in particular stands out as the league's most unpredictable — and its outcome could hinge on team success down the stretch.
We've reached the WNBA All-Star break, which gives us a chance to hit the pause button and breathe for a minute. Considering all of the discourse around the league this season (much of it surrounding a pair of Indiana Fever players), this is a welcome relief.
One thing we can do with this little break? We can talk about awards. While I've written updates throughout the season on the MVP and Rookie of the Year races, there are a lot more awards out there that are up for grabs, and some are very competitive.
MVP: A'ja Wilson
A'ja Wilson is the best player in the WNBA. This is one of the universal truths of the world. We're witnessing greatness from Wilson to the level we rarely — if ever — have before. She's already entered the GOAT conversation, and by the time her career is over, there might not even be a conversation. So, it makes sense that she is the current favorite for MVP.
Let the numbers talk for a minute: Wilson leads the league in points and blocks while ranking fourth in rebounding and 11th in steals. She's somehow managed to sneak in 3.0 assists per game on top of this.
At 18-8, the Aces sit third in the overall standings, and that might be the only potential thing that can cost Wilson the MVP, as the team is just a half-game up on the Dallas Wings. If Dallas makes a run here and finishes ahead of Vegas, we could definitely see a combination of voter fatigue and voters who value win/loss record narrowly handing the award to Paige Bueckers.
Other contenders: Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark
Rookie of the Year: Olivia Miles
This is the one race that I would confidently call over. I suppose injury or even some kind of massive fall-off with Napheesa Collier back in the lineup could give Azzi Fudd a chance, but more than likely, this is Miles' award.
She leads al rookies in points and assists per game while ranking third in both rebounds and steals, and among rookies to score at least 200 points, she ranks second in field goal percentage.
Add in Minnesota's team success despite being down a pair of key players and Miles' importance in leading this team to the WNBA's best record at the All-Star break and you get a runaway victory for the former TCU guard.
Other contenders: Azzi Fudd, Awa Fam
Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve
If Rookie of the Year is the race that's most decided already, Coach of the Year is a close runner-up as Cheryl Reeve — viewed by many as the greatest coach in league history — has done it again by taking what should have been an unfortunate situation with Napheesa Collier sidelined and has instead turned the Lynx into a title contender sans their best player.
There's really not too much to say here. No coach has done more with such adverse circumstances than Reeve has in 2026. Collier has played in one game. Dorka Juhasz has played in six games. The team lost Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency. And yet, the Lynx are the only team in the league to hit the 20-win mark at the break.
Natalie Nakase and Jose Fernandez both deserve mention as well because of how they've done in 2026, with Nakase turning the Valkyries into contenderds and Fernandez rescusing the Wings from the cellar, but both of those teams got better on paper this offseason. The Lynx arguably were worse on paper, but have been better in reality,
Other contenders: Natalia Nakase, Jose Fernandez
Defensive Player pf the Year: Gabby Williams
This is probably the most tightly contested award battle, as there are three players with a viable shot to win it: Gabby Williams, A'ja Wilson and Natasha Howard.
At the moment, I have WIlliams just ever-so-slightly ahead of the other two. Part of that is I think the voters would, in a race this close, reward someone who isn't going to also win MVP. Part of it is also just that Williams has been really good on that end.
It doesn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, though she is eighth in steals per game, but it does show up when you look at the fact that Williams is the best wing defender on the best defensive team in the league. Golden State is doing incredible things on that end of the floor, and Williams is the leader of those things. Golden State is the only team in the league allowing under 80 points per game this season.
Other contenders: A'ja Wilson, Natasha Howard
Most Improved Player: Jessica Shepard
This one is also probably a foregone conclusion at this point. Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard might still be in search of her first block of the 2026 season, but everything else she's done has positioned her for this award, as she's been the second-most important player on one of the league's best teams.
Shepard is averaging double-digit points for the first time. She leads the WNBA in rebounding with 12.0 per game. She's 11th in assists despite being a big. Yes, there are flaws to her game, but the way Shepard has improved in 2026 surpasses the level other players have improved at.
Carla Leite does deserve a nod here, though. Any other year, the story of a player who was just expansion drafted for the second year in a row turning into a high-level lead guard would have her in front of this race. It's just that Shepard unexpectedly turned into an All-Star point forward.
Other contenders Carla Leite, Dominique Malonga, Marina Mabrey
Sixth Player of the Year: Janelle Salaun
How things change: Chennedy Carter looked to be running away with this award after the first month of the season. Now, she's not even on a WNBA roster, opening this up for Janelle Salaun to potentially walk away with the award
Salaun, who started full-time for the team in 2025, has moved into a bench role with the addition of Gabby Williams, but the drop in minutes hasn't hurt her numbers. In fact, she's averaging a career-best 12.8 points per game this season.
Meanwhile. Rae Burrell, the closest real contender for the award, has been starting with Kelsey Plum sidelined, so her eligibility will likely expire soon. Sophie Cunningham is a big name, but the production there is uneven. This is Salaun's award to lose right now.
Other contenders: Rae Burrell, Sophie Cunningham
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