A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark had Record seasonsand achieved statistics the WNBA had never seen before.
Wilson became the first player in league history to score over 1,000 points in a season, and her average was a record 26.9 points. Clark broke the league’s single-season assist record and scored the most points ever as a rookie.
So it’s no surprise that the two were unanimously named AP Player and Rookie of the Year by a 15-member media panel on Sunday.
“It means a lot to me,” Wilson said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. “The preparation I’ve done, the approach I’ve taken for this season.”
The star of the Las Vegas Aces was named MVP of the league earlier Sunday, also unanimously. The WNBA will announce the remaining awards during the postseason, which begins Sunday.
Wilson finished the regular season with 1,021 points and 451 rebounds and led the league with 98 blocks. She finished third in WNBA MVP voting last season and received a fourth-place vote that gave her motivation to get better in the offseason.
“It fueled me a little when I started my offseason workouts, but by February I was done with it,” Wilson said. “I didn’t want to give that energy to that person, so that’s when I started getting into it.”
Clark came into the league with probably more hype than any rookie before her, and she delivered, leading the Indiana Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. She broke the WNBA single-season record with 337 assists, including a league-record 19 in a game. She also broke the rookie single-season scoring record by averaging 19.2 points.
“It is a tremendous honor to be named Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press,” she said. “This recognition would not be possible without an incredible group of teammates and coaches, and we look forward to continuing an exciting regular season into the postseason.”
Off the court, she helped the WNBA achieve record ratings and viewership.
Clark was the No. 1 player on the rookie team, along with Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, who broke the record by averaging 13.1 rebounds per game. She would have also held the overall rebounding record had she not suffered a season-ending injury. Other rookies on the team were Leonie Fiebich of New York, Rickea Jackson of Los Angeles and Kamilla Cardoso of Chicago.
Wilson’s teammate Tiffany Hayes was named AP Sixth Woman of the Year.
“She’s our key player in many ways, what she does on the court and in the locker room,” Wilson said. “Tiff doesn’t have to be the loud leader, but everyone listens when she speaks – that shows what a great player she is.”
Wilson and Clark headlined the AP All-WNBA First Team. They were joined by Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas. Sabrina Ionescu, Kahleah Copper, Nneka Ogwumike, Kayla McBride and Arike Ogunbowale were on the second team.
Other AP winners were:
—Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve. She helped Minnesota to a second-place finish in the regular season with a team that was ranked ninth in the preseason. The Lynx won the Commissioner’s Cup and finished the regular season with 13 wins in their final 15 games.
—Comeback Player of the Year: Skylar Diggins-Smith. The Seattle Storm defenseman missed last season after giving birth to her second child. Diggins-Smith averaged 15.1 points and 6.4 assists this season.
—Player with the biggest improvement: Dearica Hamby. The Los Angeles Sparks forward made a big jump this season, averaging 17.3 points, 8.4 more than last season. She also improved her rebounds by more than three per game. Hamby beat Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington by one vote.
— Defensive player: Collier. The Lynx star had an incredible season on both ends of the court, but she was primarily an anchor for Minnesota’s stellar defense. The team had the WNBA’s best defense this season, and Collier’s play was the main reason why. Wilson finished second, three votes behind Collier.
“I am so proud of Phee’s defensive work in 2024. Her contribution to all aspects of our defense – deflections, blocks, steals, blocks, rebounds – has strengthened one of the best defensive teams in the league and led to her best season as a professional yet,” Reeve said.
AP WNBA Power Poll
Minnesota finished at the top of the power poll, with New York in second place. Las Vegas and Connecticut were the next two teams. Seattle, Indiana, Atlanta and Phoenix followed. Washington, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles finished the poll.
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WNBA Candidate: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
