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ESPN Senior Writer- Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson would be happy to make the race for this year's award into no race at all. The Las Vegas Aces center is off to a great start, currently leading the league in scoring, blocks, player efficiency rating and win shares.
Last season, Wilson turned a very good season into a spectacular one over the last six weeks during a 16-game winning streak. That secured Wilson's fourth MVP and propelled the Aces' championship run in the playoffs.
As we take stock of the first month of the 2026 season in ESPN's WNBA awards tracker, Wilson leads the way in MVP contention -- and her biggest challenger might be the Rookie of the Year favorite.
ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Kareem Copeland, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel look at the top individual performances so far -- and will update the tracker throughout the season.
Jump to:
MVP | Rookie of Year | Defensive Player of Year
Most Improved | Sixth Player | Coach of Year
MVP
Front-runner: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
In Monday's victory over Seattle, Wilson had 34 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks. What could be a career night for many players is just what Wilson expects of herself.
Wilson topped the 6,000-point milestone Monday, too, becoming the fastest WNBA player to do so (278 games). She is averaging 25.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 blocks for the 8-3 Aces.
No WNBA player can match the four MVPs Wilson already has; only five NBA players can. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won a record six, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell five, and LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain four. -- Michael Voepel
Top contenders
Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx: This year's No. 2 draft pick could become just the second player in WNBA history to be named MVP as a rookie, joining Candace Parker. If team success carries the most weight for you, Miles leads the league in win shares (2.2) for the club that sits atop the standings with a 9-2 record. Otherwise, the point guard ranks No. 14 in scoring (17.2), No. 6 in assists (6.4), No. 24 in rebounds (5.0), No. 9 in steals (1.5) and No. 6 in player efficiency rating (PER) (23.9). -- Kareem Copeland
Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks: Even after missing three games because of an ankle injury, Plum leads the WNBA in scoring (25.5 PPG), while also averaging 6.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in a league-high 34.9 minutes per game. In her second season in Los Angeles, Plum has been the offensive engine for the Sparks as they've integrated a number of veteran players. -- Kendra Andrews
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings: The 6-foot guard has continued to elevate her game in Year 2. Her work in the weight room this offseason has allowed her to better withstand physicality, and she is as efficient as ever, shooting 50.0% from the floor and 41.2% from the 3-point arc. Powering the Wings to a 7-4 start, Bueckers is one of three players in the league ranking top 10 in scoring and assists per game, joining Plum and Caitlin Clark. -- Alexa Philippou
Rookie of the Year
Front-runner: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
There's not even a question who the front-runner is here. (Miles is such a favorite we're not even listing other contenders.) She was the Day 1 starter at point guard for the No. 1 scoring offense in the league (90.3 ppg) with the highest field goal percentage (49.9). Miles also leads the WNBA in defensive win shares (0.255) for the top scoring defense (78.4 PPG) in the league. Among rookie averages, she leads all in points per game (by 4.5), assists (by 2.4), steals and free throw percentage (of those taking at least two per game). She's also shooting 34.4% from long range. The fact that Miles is in the MVP conversation with few others clearly puts her atop the rookies. -- Copeland
Defensive Player of the Year
Front-runner: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Wilson has won this honor three times, sharing it last season with Alanna Smith, then with Minnesota. Wilson has 559 career blocks, which ranks seventh on the WNBA's all-time list. Up next for her to pass at No. 6 is Hall of Famer Lauren Jackson (586). For her career, Wilson has averaged 7.4 defensive rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks.
"I take a lot of pride in it," Wilson said of her defense. "It's easy to be good on one side of the basketball, but can you be great on both? That's what I strive to do every single day." -- Voepel
Top contender
Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx: It wasn't long ago, 2019, that Howard was named Defensive Player of the Year. The three-time champion and 2018 Most Improved Player has been named all-defense twice. Howard is tied for No. 9 in the league in defensive win shares (0.195) for the top defensive team in the league. She currently ranks No. 9 in steals per game (1.5) and No. 13 in rebounds (7.6). Howard's signing in free agency was underrated and she has been the primary defensive big despite measuring 6-2 on a team that hasn't let its size deficiency be an issue. -- Copeland
Most Improved Player
Front-runner: Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings
Shepard showed moments of brilliance earlier in her WNBA career in Minnesota. But whether it be from greater opportunity in Dallas or a perfect match with coach Jose Fernandez's system, her elite play so far this season has been at a whole other level. She's one of three players averaging a double-double (13.4 PPG, 11.2 RPG), but her ability to facilitate has unlocked the Wings offensively -- her 5.6 assists rank ninth in the league and second for forwards. Shepard leads the WNBA in triple-doubles with two (no one else has one) and is third in double-doubles with six. -- Philippou
Top contenders
Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics: Finally healthy, Austin is developing into the player the Mystics hoped they were drafting when they selected her No. 3 in 2022. This is the best she has felt physically since her rookie season, and the versatile 6-5 post is now able to show off an expanded offensive game that has been in the works for several years. Points (16.0), rebounds (8.2), assists (2.8), blocks (8.2) and minutes (27.9) are all career highs. -- Copeland
Carla Leite, Portland Fire: For the second year in a row, Leite has had a hand in getting an expansion franchise off to a historically good start. But what she's doing in Portland exceeds what she did in Golden State her rookie year. The French national is playing six more minutes than a year ago (23.4 MPG) and has doubled her scoring (14 PPG) and improved her facilitating (5.0 APG). Portland's offensive system, particularly the speed it plays with, suits a player like Leite, who thrives attacking downhill and driving to the hoop. -- Andrews
Sixth Player of the Year
Front-runner: Chennedy Carter, Las Vegas Aces
No player in the league is providing more production off the bench than Carter, who, like Miles above, is such a favorite that we're not listing other contenders for the award. The Aces guard is averaging 17.5 points (which matches her career high) through eight games -- the best mark in the WNBA among nonstarters. Carter's scoring also accounts for more than half of Las Vegas' bench points, and she's doing it while shooting a career-best 65.1% from the field and 58.8% from 3 (10-for-17). Her previous career high from beyond the arc was 37.5% (12-for-32) as a rookie in 2020. After not playing last season (she did not sign with a team in 2025), Carter ranks second on the Aces in net points this season, behind only A'ja Wilson. -- Andrews
Coach of the Year
Front-runner: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx
Reeve, who is in her 17th season as the Lynx's coach, has won this honor four times, most recently in 2024 when Minnesota made the WNBA Finals for the seventh time. Even without MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, who has yet to play this season after ankle surgeries, the 10-2 Lynx lead the WNBA. They lost three key players from last season's roster to the expansion draft and free agency, and offseason acquisition Emma Cechova was lost to an ACL injury in her third game. But behind rookie point guard Miles and veterans such as Courtney Williams, Reeve again is showing her tactical and motivational strengths. -- Voepel
Top contenders
Jose Fernandez, Dallas Wings: The Wings are on their third coach in three years, but so far, Fernandez -- who comes to the WNBA following 25 years at USF -- has turned around a team that went 19-65 the previous two seasons. At 7-4, the Wings are off to their best 11-game start in franchise history. The transformation has come primarily on the offensive end, where Dallas boasts the best offensive rating (110.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.96) in the league. -- Philippou
Alex Sarama, Portland Fire: The Fire have exceeded expectations through the first month of their inaugural season, and at 6-7 they have proved they can be a playoff contender. Sarama has established a clear identity for his team, a difficult task in a franchise's first year. His unique Constraints-Led Approach training, which eliminates repetitive drills in practice and instead forces players to train in fluid, gamelike scenarios, is relatively new to the WNBA landscape -- and yet he has gotten his players to buy in. -- Andrews