Las Vegas Aces star forward A’ja Wilson was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Wilson, a five-time All-Star, led the league with a career-high 2.2 blocks and grabbed a career-high 9.5 rebounds per game.
- The Aces finished with a league-best record 34-6 and allowed 80.3 points per game, the second-fewest behind the Connecticut Sun.
- Wilson, 27, is also a strong candidate to win her third MVP award after averaging a career-high 22.8 points per game
NEWS: A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces has won the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive season. pic.twitter.com/g6QRYilS4e
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 22, 2023
2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team
2023 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why did Wilson win DPOY?
Wilson anchored the WNBA’s top defense, as Las Vegas allowed just 97.7 points per 100 possessions during the regular season. She led the league in blocks, was fifth in steals (with 1.8 per game) and had a league-best 3.5 defensive win-shares. Not only is she able able to control the paint, but Wilson routinely demonstrated the same defensive prowess on the perimeter, when switched onto smaller players. For her efforts, she…
