HENDERSON, Nev. -- Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was voted WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday for the third time in four seasons, sharing the award this time with Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx .

Each player received 29 votes from the 72 media members who participated. It's the first time the award, first presented in the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997, went to more than one player.

Wilson, who also won the award in 2022 and 2023, tied Sheryl Swoopes for the third-most DPOY awards. Tamika Catchings owns the record with five, and Sylvia Fowles is next with four.

Wilson led the league with 2.3 blocks per game, was third with 7.9 defensive rebounds and finished fourth with 1.6 steals.

The Lynx led the WNBA with 97.5 points per 100 possessions. Smith was second in

See Full Page