Congratulations to the Las Vegas Aces’ Tiffany Hayes, the 2024 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year.
After announcing her retirement from the WNBA following the 2023 season, Hayes was induced to return to the league by Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon. A career starter, Hayes excelled as a reserve for her new squad, averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as she came off the bench in 28 of the 33 games in which she played. Hayes finished first in points per game and total points (313) among all qualified reserves. She scored in double figures 16 times, including a season-best 21 points in a critical mid-September win over the Seattle Storm.
Hayes received 38 of 67 votes from a national media panel. The New York Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich was second with 21 votes. The Washington Mystics’ Shatori Walker-Kimbrough earned three votes, with the Connecticut Sun’s Marina Mabrey receiving two. The Aces’ Alysha Clark, the 2023 Sixth Player of the Year, got one vote, along with the Seattle Storm’s Jordan Horston and Indiana Fever’s Lexie Hull.
This is the fourth time a Vegas player has won the award, with Hayes joining the aforementioned Clark (2023), Kelsey Plum (2021) and two-time winner Dearica Hamby (2019, 2020).