As the 2025 WNBA regular season comes to a close, conversations regarding end-of-season awards have sparked back up. At the end of each regular season, a panel votes for various awards to be given to WNBA players they believe are most deserving. Those include Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and more. But today, we're going to take a look at the candidates for this year's Most Improved Player.
The Most Improved Player award highlights the player who has enhanced their game the most from last season to this season. Let's take a look at the top four players in the running for this accolade.
4. Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm
Seattle forward Gabby Williams' 2024 WNBA season started late; she only played in the last 12 regular-season games and two playoff contests due to her returning from her season overseas in France and the 2024 Summer Olympics. She also played in a limited number of games during the 2023 season due to injury.
So, this season is Williams' first shot in a couple of years to really make a long-lasting impression on a W squad — and she has done just that. She has started each game for the Storm this year, and is averaging a career-high 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists. She is surely making her case for Most Improved Player given the leap she's made.
3. Azura Stevens, Los Angeles Sparks
Azura Stevens is another player who had an injury that impacted their 2024 season. She missed the first half due to an arm injury, and while she was a nice addition when she did return to the Sparks lineup, but she has undoubtedly turned it up a notch this season.
Stevens finished last year averaging 9.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. This season, those numbers have jumped to an average of 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She has become a defensive force for this Sparks squad. As Los Angeles is in a battle for the last playoff spot, Stevens has shown up — especially in an overtime battle against playoff-contending Storm, where she recorded 21 points.
2. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Gray has been a pretty consistent starter during her 9-year WNBA career, for both the Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream. But her numbers this year have taken a jump and are pretty impressive. Last year, she averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 33.2 minutes per game. This season, she is averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 35.4 minutes per game.
She can be lethal from beyond the arc; last year her 3-point percentage was 34.2%, and this year it has jumped to 39.3%. Earlier this month, she furthered her case when she made a career-high seven 3s against the Phoenix Mercury, going 7-for-9 from deep and recording 26 points.
1. Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries
In my opinion, Veronica Burton is by far the frontrunner in this race. This is her fourth season in the WNBA, and she has taken her game to an entirely new level in the Bay. She has been in the starting line-up for the Golden State Valkyries all season, which is new for her — but she's proved it's where she belongs.
She is averaging 29.1 minutes per game this season, as opposed to last season's 12.7 minutes. Last year with Connecticut, she was averaging only 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. This year, she is averaging 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. And on Wednesday night, she made WNBA history.
A double-double and history made in Ballhalla. @Veronicaab22 is the first @WNBA player ever with 24+ points, 14+ assists, and 0 turnovers.
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) August 20, 2025
In case you haven’t heard us all season long — VERONICA BURTON IS HER 🙂↔️ pic.twitter.com/gUa3151o6m
She has been key for the Valks, and now they have a decent chance of taking one of the last playoff spots, which is no small feat for an entirely new organization. She's been working all season, and I have a feeling it will be recognized with this award.