Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Janelle Salaun of the Golden State Valkyries has heavily separated herself from the field to frontrun the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year race.
- Averaging 13.4 points per game and ranking top-six in three-pointers made, she holds heavy odds over top challenger Sophie Cunningham.
- Her steady perimeter shooting and elite bench efficiency provide crucial offensive juice, cementing her as an invaluable contributor.
Thus far, the only WNBA award that's felt definitively locked up has been the Rookie of the Year race. Olivia Miles is going to win that, and it won't be close, which is well deserved, as the Lynx point guard has taken the league by storm. But looking out over the current landscape of the WNBA, it's clear that another award has already basically been decided as well: Sixth Player of the Year.
Let's talk about a few of the reasons that Janelle Salaun has sprinted away from the rest of the 6POY contenders.
Janelle Salaun has the Sixth Player of the Year Award all but clinched
Early in the season, Chennedy Carter looked like the clear pick for Sixth Player of the Year. After not being on a roster in 2025, she signed with the Aces this offseason and was having a resurgent career. It looked like we were finally seeing the star potential she's had since her college career at Texas A&M. But then, things went awry. What, exactly, happened remains a mystery, but despite being one of the league's elite finishers, the Aces released Carter and, with that, the only player in a position to really challenge Salaun for the award was gone.
Now, the betting odds point heavily in the direction of Salaun. DraftKings Sportsbook has Salaun at -900 to win, with the only other contender being Sophie Cunningham at +700, and honestly, that's closer than it should be when you compare their resumes.
Points Per Game | Rebounds Per Game | Combined Blocks + Steals Per Game | |
|---|---|---|---|
Janelle Salaun | 13.4 | 3.8 | 0.8 |
Sophie Cunningham | 9.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
Salaun is the better player and the more impactful player. In fact, she's been one of the more impactful players in the league this season in general, regardless of starter status. Salaun ranks sixth in the entire league in 3-pointers made, giving the Valkyries a reliable threat from outside the arc to help give some juice to an offense that, at times, has gotten bogged down. She's also been really efficient, ranking 10th in points per play. She's also fifth in win shares per 40 minutes.
Any way you slice it, Salaun has been the best bench player in 2026, and she's just getting better right now. Her 21 points on Tuesday night give her back-to-back games with at least 20 points, the first time she's done that since the first two games of this season. She made four 3-pointers in both games and now has two or more 3-point makes in all but seven games of the 2026 season.
At this point, Salaun would need to completely fall off a cliff to lose out on this award, and even that might not be enough for Cunningham to swoop in and steal it without increased performance on her side as well. Let's just give a preemptive congratulations to Salaun for winning Sixth Player of the Year.
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