Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson was named the 2022 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
A first-time winner of the award, Wilson is also the first player in Aces franchise history to claim the honor.
Wilson, 26, received 20 votes from a national panel of 56 sportswriters and broadcasters. Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was runner-up with 14 votes and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart was third with 13 votes.
Wilson, the 2020 WNBA MVP, led the league in blocks (1.9 per game), finished second in defensive rebounds (7.6) and ranked 12th in steals (1.4).
Wilson also earned a spot on the WNBA All-Defensive First Team, along with Stewart, Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics teammates Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins.
The All-Defensive Second Team features Connecticut teammates Thomas and Jonquel Jones, Seattle teammates Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams, and Brittney Sykes of the Los Angeles Sparks.
Fowles was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.
–Field Level Media