The Women's National Basketball Association's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season in 1997, to the top defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States, each of whom casts a vote for first, second, and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.
Tamika Catchings has won the defensive player of the year award more times than any other player, with a record of five.
Winners Denotes player who is still active in the WNBA Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Denotes player whose team won championship that yearPlayer (X)Denotes the number of times the player has wonTeam (X)Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won
Season Player Position Nationality Team First-Place Votes 1997 Teresa Weatherspoon Guard New York Liberty 22 out of 37 1998 Teresa Weatherspoon (2) Guard New York Liberty (2) 28 out of 45 1999 Yolanda Griffith Center Sacramento Monarchs 17 out of 51 2000 Sheryl Swoopes Guard / Forward Houston Comets 33 out of 62 2001 Debbie Black Guard Miami Sol 22 out of 60 2002 Sheryl Swoopes (2) Guard / Forward Houston Comets (2) 22 out of 60 2003 Sheryl Swoopes (3) Guard / Forward Houston Comets (3) 35 out of 54 2004 Lisa Leslie Center Los Angeles Sparks 27 out of 46 2005 Tamika Catchings Forward Indiana Fever 35 out of 50 2006 Tamika Catchings (2) Forward Indiana Fever (2) 43 out of 56 2007 Lauren Jackson Forward / Center Seattle Storm 20 out of 48 2008 Lisa Leslie (2) Center Los Angeles Sparks (2) 20 out of 43 2009 Tamika Catchings (3) Forward Indiana Fever (3) 34 out of 40 2010 Tamika Catchings (4) Forward Indiana Fever (4) 30 out of 39 2011 Sylvia Fowles Center Chicago Sky 19 out of 40 2012 Tamika Catchings (5) Forward Indiana Fever (5) 19 out of 41 2013 Sylvia Fowles (2) Center Chicago Sky (2) 21 out of 39 2014 Brittney Griner Center Phoenix Mercury 31 out of 38 2015 Brittney Griner (2) Center Phoenix Mercury (2) 33 out of 39 2016 Sylvia Fowles (3) Center Minnesota Lynx 19 out of 39 2017 Alana Beard Guard / Forward Los Angeles Sparks (3) 28 out of 40 2018 Alana Beard (2) Guard / Forward Los Angeles Sparks (4) 16 out of 39 2019 Natasha Howard Guard / Forward Seattle Storm (2) 33 out of 43 2020 Candace Parker Forward / Center Los Angeles Sparks (5) 16 out of 47 2021 Sylvia Fowles (4) Center Minnesota Lynx (2) 31 out of 49 2022 A'ja Wilson Forward Las Vegas Aces 20 out of 56 2023 A'ja Wilson (2) Las Vegas Aces (2) 32 out of 60 2024 Napheesa Collier Minnesota Lynx (3) 36 out of 60 2025 Alanna Smith Minnesota Lynx (4) 29 out of 72 A'ja Wilson (3) Center Las Vegas Aces (3) 2026 Angel Reese Forward Atlanta Dream 46 out of 74
Multi-time winners AwardsPlayerTeam(s)Years5Tamika CatchingsIndiana Fever2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 20124Sylvia FowlesChicago Sky / Minnesota Lynx2011, 2013, 2016, 20213Sheryl SwoopesHouston Comets2000, 2002, 2003A'ja WilsonLas Vegas Aces2022, 2023, 20252Teresa WeatherspoonNew York Liberty1997, 1998Lisa LeslieLos Angeles Sparks2004, 2008Brittney GrinerPhoenix Mercury2014, 2015Alana BeardLos Angeles Sparks2017, 2018
See also
List of sports awards honoring women
References