Seven Consulting Opals and Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith is the 2025 Kia WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Smith was acknowledged on the back of an outstanding season for the Lynx and becomes the 1st Australian to win the award since Lauren Jackson AO OLY in 2007.
Smith shared the honor with A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, as both players received 29 votes from a national panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters. This marks the first time in WNBA history that two players have received the same number of votes for a key individual award.
Double the dominance 👑
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 18, 2025
Alanna Smith of the @minnesotalynx and A’ja Wilson of the @lvaces are your 2025 WNBA @Kia Co-Defensive Players of the Year!
This marks the first DPOY honor of Smith’s career and the third for Wilson. This is also the first time two players have won the… pic.twitter.com/UqpgbG6t1F
Smith appeared in all 42 games in 2025 producing 48.5% shooting, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. She set a single season franchise record for blocks with 80, the eighth player in WNBA history to record 80 or more in a single season.
The Hobart, Australia native helped lead the Lynx to first in the WNBA in defensive rating (97.5), while allowing the second-fewest opponent fast-break points (8.7) and third-fewest opponent points in the paint (34.2). Minnesota also held opponents to 42.3% shooting from the field and 76.7 points per game, the second-lowest in the WNBA this season.
Originally selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the eighth overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft, Smith was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2024. In her two seasons with the Lynx, she holds averages of 9.9 points on 47.8% shooting from the floor, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
More to come
