Associated Press (AP) Has Released Their 2026 WNBA Awards
They put in the work all season and outperformed their peers in various aspects of the game. Now the time has come to recognize their impressive and exceptional performances. On Sunday morning, the Associated Press (AP) has released their 2026 WNBA awards.
From rookies that came into the league like a wrecking ball to players that defended the rim like a soldier on the battlefield. This season the ladies of the Women’s Basketball Association showed heart, grit and that they are some stellar HOOPERS.
Yearly the Associated Press recognizes who was the best offensively, defensively and everything in-between. One thing to note is that these are not the league’s awards. Those haven’t been released, but will be in the near future.
Right off bat though congratulations are in order for Miss Wilson. Wilson wins the AP’s WNBA Player of the Year award for an unprecedented third straight year. It’s the fourth time that Wilson has won the AP award, breaking a tie with Breanna Stewart for most since the awards were first given in 2016. Regarding being honored Wilson says,
“It’s big. It’s an honor for me to do it three times in a row. It’s not easy,” Wilson said in a phone interview. “My counterparts in this league are really good. I don’t take it lightly because of how much talent we do have in this league.”
Alright let’s get to it. Here are this season’s top high performers. Enjoy looking over all the categories.
The Associated Press (AP) 2026 WNBA awards
Player of the Year: A’ja Wilson
DPOY: Angel Reese
Rookie of the Year: Olivia Miles
COTY: Cheryl Reeve
6POTY: Janelle Salaün
MIP: Jessica Shepard
First Team: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Olivia Miles, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell
Second Team: Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Jackie Young, Rhyne Howard, Gabby Williams
Comeback Player of the Year: Caitlin Clark
All Rookie: Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd, Flau’jae Johnson, Sydney Taylor, Pauline Astier, Kiki Rice (There was a tie for 5th).
Associated Press (AP) Has Released Their 2026 WNBA Awards
As one can see, Angel Reese has been named AP Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Reese and Howard have earned All-AP Honors. Moreover, Reese becomes first player in franchise history to earn AP Defensive Player of the Year; Reese and Howard become first Dream teammates named to an AP All Team in the same season.
This year Angel became the first player in WNBA history to record 500 rebounds in a single season and set league single-season records for total rebounds and offensive rebounds. Reese also set the WNBA single-season record with 32 double-doubles and recorded a WNBA-record 26 rebounds in a single game. She finished the regular season averaging a league-best 12.3 rebounds per game to earn WNBA Peak Performer honors.
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