Last season, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award for the first time, ending a two-year stretch of A'ja Wilson winning the award.
Collier will now look to be the ninth player to win the award multiple times. She would join Wilson and Brittney Griner as active players with multiple DOY awards, but how likely is it for Collier to win it again?
Here are the top 10 candidates for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
10. Brittney Griner
The 2014 and 2015 Defensive Player of the Year, Brittney Griner's case for winning a third time isn't great, but her rim protection ability should at least have her as part of the conversation.
Griner's block numbers have dropped, and her 1.5 per game last year was the lowest of her career, but she could potentially be reinvigorated in Atlanta this season, where she'll form an imposing frontcourt with Brionna Jones.
9. DiJonai Carrington
DiJonai Carrington surprisingly earned a DPOY vote last season. She could earn more in 2025 as she moves to Dallas, where she'll often be asked to take on the role of primary on-ball defender for a team with an offense-heavy starting backcourt of Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale that might lack on the defensive end.
8. Aliyah Boston
Similar to the story in Dallas, Indiana has a lot of really good offensive players, but running Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and DeWanna Bonner together for heavy minutes will mean the frontcourt of Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston have to make up for the rest of the defense.
Of the two, Boston will likely get the most credit for whatever Indiana's able to do on the defensive end. In 2023, a rookie Boston averaged 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, but both numbers dipped a bit last season. If she can get back to her rookie number in steals and bump the blocks up over 1.7 per game, she'll have a shot at DPOY.
7. Cameron Brink
This ranking depends heavily on Cameron Brink actually being healthy, something that's a bit of a question at the moment. Brink tore her ACL in June and won't be ready to open the season, though it sounds like she can be back relatively soon after.
Brink was on fire defensively as a rookie, averaging 1.1 steals and 2.3 blocks per game at the time of her injury. She's an excellent rim protector and would likely rank in the top five of this list if we were assured of a full 2025 campaign.
6. Angel Reese
Angel Reese still has a lot of growth needed on the offensive end, but her defensive stats look good. Reese led the WNBA in rebounds per game as a rookie and added 1.3 steals per game.
One issue that likely hurts Reese's ability to actually win this award, now or in the future, is that she's a power forward who doesn't block shots. She averaged just 0.5 per game as a rookie. However, the defensive rebounding stats will up her case in the eyes of some voters.
5. Alyssa Thomas
Here's where I diverge the most from the betting lines. Alyssa Thomas isn't in the top 10 in the BetMGM odds, but she should have a viable shot at the award in Phoenix this season.
Thomas was still third in defensive win shares last season, but she didn't receive any DPOY votes. In 2023 though, Thomas was second to Wilson in the voting, just as she was in 2022. She might have slipped a bit, but her defense still stands out as a positive part of her game.
4. Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart is a better offensive player than she is a defensive player, but that's not meant to be an insult. Stewart was third in DPOY voting in 2022 and was a First Team All-Defensive selection in 2024 after averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. Don't let her great offensive play overshadow that she's also one of the W's best defenders.
3. Ezi Magbegor
After two consecutive appearances on the All-Defense Second Team, Seattle Storm forward Ezi Magbegor made her debut on the First Team last year and finished third in the DPOY voting.
Magbegor is an active big who averaged 2.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game in 2024. She has the athleticism to defend on-ball and the vertical ability to patrol the paint and defend the rim. Magbegor finally started to get recognition for her defense last year; now, can she take things to the next level and win Defensive Player of the Year?
2. Napheesa Collier
Last year's winner is No. 2 in the preseason power rankings, which shouldn't be viewed as a slight. Collier took major strides as a defender last year, averaging career highs in both blocks (1.4) and steals (1.9). She continues to get better and better on that end.
So why isn't she the favorite? Part of it's just that last year was her first All-Defense First Team appearance and just the second time she received votes for the award. It's just slightly harder to see her repeating than it is to see the next player get it.
1. A'ja Wilson
I'm not saying voter fatigue is why A'ja Wilson didn't win a third consecutive DPOY award last season, but the runner-up for the award averaged 1.8 steals and 2.6 blocks per game, both the best marks of her career.
Wilson is the best defender in the WNBA. Full stop. No qualifiers. If I had to pick one player to get a stop inside, it's Wilson, and it's why she should be viewed as the favorite to win her third Defensive Player of the Year award.