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Angel Reese Wins 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of Year

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 2:36 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Angel Reese Wins DPOY

Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream won the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
She received 46 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Reese became the first Dream player and first Eastern Conference winner since 2013.
She led league with 3.39 defensive win shares, a 100.0 rating and 12.1 rebounds per game.
Reese set records with 521 total rebounds, 206 offensive rebounds and 32 double-doubles.

Summary

Media Critics Question DPOY

Media critics say the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) vote prioritized on/off stats over metrics.
Two voters cited a metric favoring A’ja Wilson but still voted for Angel Reese.
Garcia called Reese a “black hole” at rim despite averaging under one block per game.
Reese wants Jordin Canada and Rhyne Howard to sign her trophy.
Canada, Howard, and Reese led steals, yet only Reese and Howard earned DPOY votes.

History

Historical Context

Since its inception in 1997, the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award highlighted elite defense; in 2000 center Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks earned the honor with 27 of 46 first-place votes as the league added four new franchises and the Houston Comets captured their fourth championship, underscoring a period of rapid growth and heightened competition.

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Angel Reese Wins DPOY

Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream won the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
She received 46 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Reese became the first Dream player and first Eastern Conference winner since 2013.
She led league with 3.39 defensive win shares, a 100.0 rating and 12.1 rebounds per game.
Reese set records with 521 total rebounds, 206 offensive rebounds and 32 double-doubles.

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