A'ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark had record-breaking seasons, putting up stats the WNBA had never seen before.
Wilson became the first player in league history to score more than 1,000 points in a season, and she averaged a record 26.9 points. Clark broke the league's single-season assist mark and scored the most points ever for a rookie.
So it's no surprise the two were honored Sunday as the unanimous choices for the AP Player and Rookie of the Year awards, respectively, by a 15-member media panel.
鈥淚t means a lot," Wilson said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淭he preparation you put in, the approach I set myself up for this season.鈥
The Las Vegas Aces star was named the earlier Sunday, also unanimously. The WNBA will announce the rest of its awards over the course of 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 the WNBA MVP voting last season, receiving one fourth-place vote that she said fueled her in the offseason to get better.
鈥淚t propelled me a little bit as I started my offseason workouts, but around February I was over it," Wilson said. "I didn鈥檛 want to give that person that energy, that鈥檚 when I started to lock in.鈥
Clark came into the league with quite possibly more hype than any rookie ever 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 one game. She also broke the single-season rookie scoring mark as she averaged 19.2 points.
鈥淭his is a tremendous honor to be named The Associated Press Rookie of the Year,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his recognition wouldn't be possible without an incredible group of teammates and coaches, and we are looking forward to continuing an exciting regular season in the postseason.鈥
Off the court she helped lift the WNBA to record ratings and attendance.
Clark headlined the all-rookie team along with Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, who broke the rebounds-per-game record by averaging 13.1. She would have had the overall rebounding record as well had she not gotten hurt at the end of the season. Other rookies on the team were New York's Leonie Fiebich, Los Angeles' Rickea Jackson and Chicago's Kamilla Cardoso.
Wilson's teammate Tiffany Hayes earned AP Sixth Woman of the Year honors.
鈥淪he鈥檚 our difference-maker in a lot of ways, what she brings on the court and in the locker room,鈥 Wilson said. 鈥淭iff doesn鈥檛 have to be the vocal leader, but everyone listens when she speaks 鈥 shows the great player she is.鈥
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 included:
鈥擟oach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve. She helped Minnesota finish second in the regular season with a team that was picked ninth in the preseason. The Lynx won the Commissioner's Cup and finished the regular season with 13 wins in their final 15 games.
鈥擟omeback Player of the Year: Skylar Diggins-Smith. The Seattle Storm guard missed last season after giving birth to her second child. Diggins-Smith averaged 15.1 points and 6.4 assists this season.
鈥擬ost Improved Player: Dearica Hamby. The Los Angeles Sparks forward made a huge jump this season by averaging 17.3 points 鈥 8.4 more than last season. She also improved her rebounding by more than three a game. Hamby edged Connecticut's DiJonai Carrington by one vote.
鈥擠efensive Player: Collier. The Lynx star had an incredible season on both ends of the court, but she was an anchor especially for Minnesota's stellar defense. The team had the best defense in the WNBA this season and Collier鈥檚 play was the main reason why. Wilson finished second, three votes behind Collier.
鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of Phee鈥檚 defensive work in 2024. Her commitment to all aspects of our defense 鈥 deflections, denials, steals, blocks, rebounds 鈥 anchored one of the top defensive teams in the league and led to her best season yet as a pro," Reeve said.
AP WNBA Power Poll
Minnesota finished atop the power poll, with New York second. Las Vegas and Connecticut were the next two teams. They were followed by Seattle, Indiana, Atlanta and Phoenix. Washington, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles finished off the poll.
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AP WNBA:
