Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese won the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, receiving 46 of the 74 votes announced Thursday. The result has drawn scrutiny from voters and analysts who argue the award reflects media enthusiasm rather than a definitive leap in defensive performance over league peers.
Reese's victory placed her ahead of Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams, who finished second with 20 votes, and Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson, who received four. The margin between the winner and the third-place finisher was substantial, with Reese securing more than 11 times as many votes as Wilson. Critics point to this disparity as evidence that the media corps may be overselling Reese's defensive impact.
The Dream finished the season with a 30-14 record, matching their previous season's total wins. While Atlanta ranked third in defensive rating this year, allowing 103.5 points per 100 possessions, they ranked second the prior season with a 98.9 rating. This suggests the team's defensive efficiency did not improve with Reese's addition, despite her individual accolades. Reese contributed to a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game for Atlanta and averaged 1.8 steals, leading the league in defensive win shares.
However, statistical comparisons often favor Wilson, who led the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season with an average of 1.9 per game. Wilson also outperformed Reese in defensive rebounds per game, averaging 7.5 compared to Reese's 7.3, while adding 1.4 steals. Advanced metrics further complicate the narrative; CBS Sports' Jack Maloney noted that Wilson led the league in defensive VPM, an advanced metric estimating a player's impact on preventing points, yet he still voted for Reese. Maloney and other voters acknowledged these metrics but relied on team on/off figures to justify their choice.
Discrepancies in cited statistics have fueled further debate. Swish Appeal's Edwin Garcia described Reese as a "black hole" at the rim and a "shoo-in" for the award, citing a 15.5-point on/off difference. In contrast, Maloney cited a 13-point gap, while Atlanta's own announcement referenced a 7.9-point difference. These varying figures measure team performance rather than individual defense, a distinction critics argue is often blurred in coverage.
Williams also presented a strong case, as Synergy tracking data placed her first in points allowed per possession across tracked play types for Golden State's top-ranked defense. Despite this, she received fewer than half as many votes as Reese. The voting outcome highlights a tension between individual statistical dominance and broader media narratives surrounding Reese's status as a league icon.