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Best WNBA Player ESPY Award

{{Short description|American sporting award}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

The Best WNBA Player ESPY Award is an award given at the ESPY Awards show. It has been presented annually since 1998 to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player who has been voted the best in the preceding year before the ceremony. Beginning in 2003, the winner has been chosen by online voting,{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espy2004/s/2004/0421/1786981.html|title=The 2004 ESPY Awards - Fans to decide all 2004 ESPY Award winners|work=ESPN.com|access-date=23 January 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/espn-wants-you-vote-espys/372559|title=ESPN Wants You to Vote … for ESPYs|date=April 22, 2004|work=Multichannel|access-date=23 January 2018}} before that, determination of the winners was made by an panel of experts.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espy/features/01083044.html|title=Committee is newly found|date=February 3, 1999|work=ESPN.com|access-date=23 January 2018}}

The inaugural winner was Cynthia Cooper, who would go on to win three consecutive awards. Candace Parker has won the award a record four times, while Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie and Diana Taurasi have won the award three times. Only Cooper and Taurasi had their three wins in consecutive years. All winners other than Jackson, who is Australian, have been American. Winners have played all five of the standard Basketball positions, the most honored position is power forward, players playing power forward have won eight awards. The award wasn't awarded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

List of winners

{{color box|#cfecec}} Player was a member of the winning team in the WNBA Finals
{{color box|#ffbbbb}} Player was a member of the losing team in the WNBA Finals
† WNBA Finals MVP

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
scope=col| Year

!scope=col| Player

!scope=col| Nationality

!scope=col| Position played

!scope=col| Team represented

!scope=col class=unsortable|Ref

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|1998

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Cynthia|Cooper|Cynthia Cooper-Dyke}}†

|{{USA}}

|Point guard

|Houston Comets

|{{cite web|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2010/06/all_tme_espy_winners/|title=All-Time ESPY Winners|date=June 24, 2010|work=ESPN.com|access-date=23 January 2018}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|1999

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Cynthia|Cooper|Cynthia Cooper-Dyke}} (2)†

|{{USA}}

|Point guard

|Houston Comets

|

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2000

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Cynthia|Cooper|Cynthia Cooper-Dyke}} (3)†

|{{USA}}

|Point guard

|Houston Comets

|

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2001

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Sheryl|Swoopes}}

|{{USA}}

|Small forward

|Houston Comets

|

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2002

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Lisa|Leslie}}†

|{{USA}}

|Center

|Los Angeles Sparks

|

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2003

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Lisa|Leslie}} (2)†

|{{USA}}

|Center

|Los Angeles Sparks

|

2004

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Lauren|Jackson}}

|{{AUS}}

|Power forward

|Seattle Storm

|

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2005

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Lauren|Jackson}} (2)

|{{AUS}}

|Power forward

|Seattle Storm

|

2006

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Sheryl|Swoopes}} (2)

|{{USA}}

|Small forward

|Houston Comets

|

2007

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Lisa|Leslie}} (3)

|{{USA}}

|Center

|Los Angeles Sparks

|

2008

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Lauren|Jackson}} (3)

|{{AUS}}

|Power forward

|Seattle Storm

|

2009

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Candace|Parker}}

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Los Angeles Sparks

|{{cite news|url=http://archive.knoxnews.com/sports/vols/other/candace-parker-wins-espy-for-best-wnba-player-ep-357960529-355652761.html|title=Candace Parker wins ESPY for Best WNBA Player|date=July 18, 2013|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|access-date=23 January 2018}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2010

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Diana|Taurasi}}†

|{{USA}}

|Shooting guard

|Phoenix Mercury

|{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com/other/story/taurasi-wins-espy-as-best-wnba-player-071510|title=Taurasi wins ESPY as best WNBA player|date=July 15, 2010|work=FoxSports.com|access-date=23 January 2018}}

2011

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Diana|Taurasi}} (2)

|{{USA}}

|Shooting guard

|Phoenix Mercury

|{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/6767665/2011-espy-awards-winners-revealed-los-angeles|title=2011 ESPY Awards -- Winners revealed in Los Angeles|date=July 14, 2011|work=ESPN.com|access-date=23 January 2018}}

2012

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Diana|Taurasi}} (3)

|{{USA}}

|Shooting guard

|Phoenix Mercury

|{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1255849-espy-awards-2012-winners-results-recap-and-top-moments|title=2012 ESPY Awards Winners: Results, Recap and Top Moments|date=July 12, 2012|work=Bleacher Report|access-date=23 January 2018}}

2013

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Candace|Parker}} (2)

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Los Angeles Sparks

|

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2014

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Maya|Moore}}

|{{USA}}

|Small forward

|Minnesota Lynx†

|{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/17/the-top-10-moments-from-wednesday-nights-espy-awards/|title=The top 10 moments from the 2014 ESPY awards|last=McDonald|first=Soraya Nadia|date=July 17, 2014|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=23 January 2018}}

2015

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Skylar|Diggins}}

|{{USA}}

|Point guard

|Tulsa Shock

|{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/espy-awards-2015-winners-list-808363|title=ESPY Awards: The Complete Winners List|date=July 15, 2015|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=23 January 2018}}

2016

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Maya|Moore}} (2)

|{{USA}}

|Small forward

|Minnesota Lynx

|{{cite web|url=http://lynx.wnba.com/news/maya-moore-wins-espy-award-best-wnba-player/|title=Maya Moore Wins ESPY Award For Best WNBA Player|date=July 15, 2016|work=Minnesota Lynx|access-date=23 January 2018}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2017

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Candace|Parker}} (3)†

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Los Angeles Sparks

|{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/espy-awards-2017-complete-winners-list-1019813/item/espys-nominations-best-wnba-player-1015729|title=ESPY Awards 2017: Complete Winners List|date=July 12, 2017|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=23 January 2018}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2018

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Maya|Moore}} (3)

|{{USA}}

|Small forward

|Minnesota Lynx

|{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/2018-espy-awards-winners-list/Bc9AOD2KGuj6mnbQJn8UGL/|title=2018 ESPY Awards: Winners list}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2019

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Breanna|Stewart}}

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Seattle Storm

|{{cite web |title=2019 ESPYS award winners |url=https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/id/27161824/2019-espys-award-winners |website=ESPN |access-date=16 March 2020 |date=July 10, 2019}}

2020

| colspan=5 align=center|Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Breanna|Stewart}} (2)

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Seattle Storm

|{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/page/voting-winners/2021-espys-award-winners |title=2021 ESPYS award winners|website=ESPN.com|date=July 10, 2021|access-date=July 10, 2021}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2022

!scope="row"|{{sortname|Candace|Parker}} (4)

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Chicago Sky

|{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/id/34271763/2022-espys-award-winners |title=2022 ESPYS: Full list of award winners |website=ESPN.com |access-date=July 20, 2022 |date=July 20, 2022}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2023

!scope="row"|{{sortname|A'ja|Wilson}}

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Las Vegas Aces

|{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/id/38001789/full-list-award-winners |title=2023 ESPYS: Full list of award winners |website=ESPN.com |date=July 13, 2023 |access-date=July 13, 2023}}

bgcolor="#cfecec"

|2024

!scope="row"|{{sortname|A'ja|Wilson}} (2)†

|{{USA}}

|Power forward

|Las Vegas Aces

|{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/id/40520337/2024-espys-winners-list |title=2024 ESPYS: Here is the list of winners |website=ESPN.com |date=July 11, 2024 |access-date=July 11, 2024}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{ESPYs}}

Category:Awards established in 1998

Category:Lists of Women's National Basketball Association players

Category:ESPY Awards

Category:WNBA awards