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WNBA Defensive Player of the Year

{{Short description|Annual basketball award}}

{{use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}

{{WNBA Awards}}

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 -- 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 the record of 5.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wnba.com/news/tamika-catchings-retirement-farewell/|title=Saying Goodbye to WNBA Great Tamika Catchings|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-01|archive-date=2016-10-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002045032/http://www.wnba.com/news/tamika-catchings-retirement-farewell/|url-status=live}}

Winners

class="wikitable"
style="background-color:#BBFFFF; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:6em"|

|Denotes player who is still active in the WNBA

style="background-color:#FFE5E5; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:6em"|

|Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

style="background-color:#FFF8A8; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:6em"|

|Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

style="background-color:#EBFFD6; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:6em"|

|Denotes player whose team won championship that year

Player (X)

|Denotes the number of times the player has won

Team (X)

|Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" summary="Season (sortable), Player (sortable), Position (sortable), Nationality (sortable) and Team (sortable)"
scope="col"| Season

!scope="col"| Player

!scope="col"| Position

!scope="col"| Nationality

!scope="col"| Team

style="text-align: center"| 1997

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Teresa Weatherspoon

| Guard

| {{USA}}

| New York Liberty

style="text-align: center"| 1998

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Teresa Weatherspoon (2)

| Guard

| {{USA}}

| New York Liberty (2)

style="text-align: center"| 1999

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Yolanda Griffith

| Center

| {{USA}}

| Sacramento Monarchs

scope="row" style="background-color:#EBFFD6; text-align: center"| 2000

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sheryl Swoopes

| Guard / Forward

| {{USA}}

| Houston Comets

style="text-align: center"| 2001

| Debbie Black

| Guard

| {{USA}}

| Miami Sol

style="text-align: center"| 2002

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sheryl Swoopes (2)

| Guard / Forward

| {{USA}}

| Houston Comets (2)

style="text-align: center"| 2003

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sheryl Swoopes (3)

| Guard / Forward

| {{USA}}

| Houston Comets (3)

style="text-align: center"| 2004

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Lisa Leslie

| Center

| {{USA}}

| Los Angeles Sparks

style="text-align: center"| 2005

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Tamika Catchings

| Forward

| {{USA}}

| Indiana Fever

style="text-align: center"| 2006

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Tamika Catchings (2)

| Forward

| {{USA}}

| Indiana Fever (2)

style="text-align: center"| 2007

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Lauren Jackson

| Forward / Center

| {{AUS}}

| Seattle Storm

style="text-align: center"| 2008

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Lisa Leslie (2)

| Center{{Cite web|url=http://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/news/awards08_dpoy.html|title=WNBA.com: Los Angeles' Lisa Leslie Named 2008 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year|website=www.wnba.com|access-date=2016-10-01|archive-date=2016-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306160529/http://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/news/awards08_dpoy.html|url-status=live}}

| {{USA}}

| Los Angeles Sparks (2)

style="text-align: center"| 2009

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Tamika Catchings (3)

| Forward

| {{USA}}

| Indiana Fever (3)

style="text-align: center"| 2010

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Tamika Catchings (4)

| Forward

| {{USA}}

| Indiana Fever (4)

style="text-align: center"| 2011

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sylvia Fowles

| Center{{Cite web|url=http://www.excellesports.com/news/sylvia-fowles-wins-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|title=Sylvia Fowles wins WNBA Defensive Player of the Year|date=2016-09-30|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-01}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

| {{USA}}

| Chicago Sky

scope="row" style="background-color:#EBFFD6; text-align: center"| 2012

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Tamika Catchings (5)

| Forward

| {{USA}}

| Indiana Fever (5)

style="text-align: center"| 2013

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sylvia Fowles (2)

| Center

| {{USA}}

| Chicago Sky (2)

scope="row" style="background-color:#EBFFD6; text-align: center"| 2014

!scope="row" style="background-color:#BBFFFF"| Brittney Griner

| Center

| {{USA}}

| Phoenix Mercury

style="text-align: center"| 2015

!scope="row" style="background-color:#BBFFFF"| Brittney Griner (2)

| Center

| {{USA}}

| Phoenix Mercury (2)

style="text-align: center"| 2016

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sylvia Fowles (3)

| Center

| {{USA}}

| Minnesota Lynx

style="text-align: center"| 2017

| Alana Beard

| Guard / Forward{{cite web|url=http://www.wnba.com/news/los-angeles-alana-beard-named-2017-wnba-defensive-player-year/|title=Los Angeles’ Alana Beard Named 2017 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year|publisher=WNBA|website=wnba.com|date=September 12, 2017|access-date=October 5, 2017|archive-date=September 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913044106/http://www.wnba.com/news/los-angeles-alana-beard-named-2017-wnba-defensive-player-year/|url-status=live}}

| {{USA}}

| Los Angeles Sparks (3)

style="text-align: center"| 2018

| Alana Beard (2)

| Guard / Forward{{cite press release |url=http://www.wnba.com/news/sparks-alana-beard-named-2018-defensive-player-of-the-year/ |title=Sparks’ Alana Beard Named 2018 Defensive Player Of The Year |publisher=WNBA |date=August 30, 2018 |access-date=August 30, 2018 |archive-date=August 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830210220/http://www.wnba.com/news/sparks-alana-beard-named-2018-defensive-player-of-the-year/ |url-status=live }}

| {{USA}}

| Los Angeles Sparks (4)

style="text-align: center"| 2019

!scope="row" style="background-color:#BBFFFF"| Natasha Howard

| Guard / Forward{{cite press release |url=https://www.wnba.com/news/seattles-natasha-howard-named-2019-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/ |title=Seattle’s Natasha Howard Named 2019 WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year |publisher=WNBA |date=September 11, 2019 |access-date=September 11, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001095628/https://www.wnba.com/news/seattles-natasha-howard-named-2019-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/ |url-status=live }}

| {{USA}}

| Seattle Storm (2)

style="text-align: center"| 2020

| Candace Parker

| Forward / Center{{cite web|url=https://www.wnba.com/news/candace-parker-named-2020-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|title=Candace Parker Named 2020 WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year|website=wnba.com|publisher=WNBA|date=September 24, 2020|access-date=September 24, 2020|archive-date=October 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002014813/https://www.wnba.com/news/candace-parker-named-2020-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|url-status=live}}

| {{USA}}

| Los Angeles Sparks (5)

style="text-align: center"| 2021

!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFF8A8"| Sylvia Fowles (4)

| Center{{cite web|url=https://www.wnba.com/news/sylvia-fowles-named-2021-kia-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|title=Sylvia Fowles Named 2021 WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year|access-date=September 26, 2021|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926195030/https://www.wnba.com/news/sylvia-fowles-named-2021-kia-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|url-status=live}}

| {{USA}}

| Minnesota Lynx (2)

scope="row" style="background-color:#EBFFD6; text-align: center"| 2022

!scope="row" style="background-color:#BBFFFF"| A'ja Wilson

| Forward{{cite web|url=https://www.wnba.com/news/las-vegas-aces-aja-wilson-named-2022-kia-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|title=Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson Named 2022 Kia WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year|website=wnba.com|publisher=WNBA|date=August 30, 2022|access-date=August 31, 2022|archive-date=August 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830171359/https://www.wnba.com/news/las-vegas-aces-aja-wilson-named-2022-kia-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/|url-status=live}}

| {{USA}}

| Las Vegas Aces

scope="row" style="background-color:#EBFFD6; text-align: center"| 2023

!scope="row" style="background-color:#BBFFFF"| A'ja Wilson (2)

| Forward{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38461630/aces-star-aja-wilson-wins-second-straight-dpoy-award|title=Aces star A'ja Wilson wins second straight DPOY award|work=ESPN|date=September 22, 2023|access-date=September 22, 2023|archive-date=September 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922212340/https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38461630/aces-star-aja-wilson-wins-second-straight-dpoy-award|url-status=live}}

| {{USA}}

| Las Vegas Aces (2)

style="text-align: center"| 2024

!scope="row" style="background-color:#BBFFFF"| Napheesa Collier

| Forward{{cite web|url=https://lynx.wnba.com/news/napheesa-collier-named-2024-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year|title=Napheesa Collier Named 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year |work=Minnesota Lynx|date=September 29, 2024 |access-date=September 29, 2024}}

| {{USA}}

| Minnesota Lynx (3)

Multi-time winners

class="wikitable"

!Awards

!Player

!Team(s)

!Years

5

|Tamika Catchings

|Indiana Fever

|2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012

4

|Sylvia Fowles

|Chicago Sky / Minnesota Lynx

|2011, 2013, 2016, 2021

3

|Sheryl Swoopes

|Houston Comets

|2000, 2002, 2003

rowspan="5" |2

|Teresa Weatherspoon

|New York Liberty

|1997, 1998

Lisa Leslie

|Los Angeles Sparks

|2004, 2008

Brittney Griner

|Phoenix Mercury

|2014, 2015

Alana Beard

|Los Angeles Sparks

|2017, 2018

A'ja Wilson

| Las Vegas Aces

| 2022, 2023

See also

References

{{reflist}}

  • {{cite web | url=http://www.wnba.com/history/defensive_player.html | title= WNBA Defensive Player of the Year | access-date=January 19, 2009 }}

{{WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award}}

{{WNBA}}

Category:Awards established in 1997

Defensive