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Aces' A'ja Wilson named 2023 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for second straight honor

callie lawson-freeman
Contributing writer
·2 min read
Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson warms up for Game 3 of the basketball team's WNBA Finals against the Connecticut Sun, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
The Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson was recognized as the WNBA's top defender this season. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A'ja Wilson went back-to-back.

The Las Vegas Aces star is the 2023 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Friday. This comes after she earned the honor last season, making her the eighth player in league history to take home the award multiple times.

Wilson, 27, led the WNBA this season with a career-high 2.23 blocks per game. She also ranked third in defensive boards per game with 7.5. Her 1.4 steals per game placed her 10th in the league. In nine regular-season games, she notched at least four blocks. She had 10 games with at least three steals.

The league also announced its All-Defensive teams Friday. Wilson made the WNBA All-Defensive First Team— her third WNBA All-Defensive selection.

2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team

  • A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

  • Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun

  • Brittney Sykes, Washington Mystics

  • Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty

  • Jordin Canada, Los Angeles Sparks

Wilson earned 32 votes from a national panel of 60 media members for the DPOY award. For the second-straight year, Thomas finished in second place (24 votes). Sykes was third, earning three votes.

2023 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team

  • Betnijah Laney, New York Liberty

  • Ezi Magbegor, Seattle Storm

  • Nneka Ogwumike, Las Angeles Sparks

  • Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

  • Elizabeth Williams, Chicago Sky

Laney received one vote for DPOY. She and Stewart are the first pair of teammates in Liberty history to earn first and second All-Defensive Teams honors in the same season.

Wilson will return to the court this weekend as the reigning champion Aces also attempt to go back-to-back and win their second consecutive WNBA title. That journey resumes Sunday as the team begins a semifinals series against newly minted Most Improved Player of the Year Satou Sabally and the Dallas Wings (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2).