Gold beckons for the WNBA’s greatest talents during award season.

The league’s best stars put their best foot forward during the regular season, producing historic displays that are expected to linger far after they leave the floor.

Now, they’ll look to get their just rewards for their outings. The WNBA is slated to issue half a dozen trophies come award season. Each will be hotly contested.

A’ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell will vie for some of sports’ biggest prizes over the coming few weeks. Odds are that at least a pair of them will walk home with some additional hardware.

With that, here’s a look at the WNBA’s award winners in 2026.

SN 140: The all-time All-WNBA teams across the league’s history

WNBA awards 2026

Most Valuable Player

This section will be updated when the recipient of the 2026 MVP is announced.

Sixth Player of the Year: Janelle Salaun, Valkyries

Salaun was named Sixth Player of the Year in 2026, joining an exclusive list of players to receive the honor that includes DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones and Kelsey Plum.

The Valkyries wing was a star in her role during the regular season, averaging 12.7 points and 4.0 rebounds for the 32-12 side. Salaun didn’t provide quite as much defensive cover as some of her Golden State peers. But her scoring off the bench proved vital for a Valkyries team that found it difficult at times to score.

Salaun set the record for most points scored off the bench in a single season in her sophomore year. She captured the trophy unanimously, claiming all 74 votes. With her triumph, she became the first person to pick up the prize unanimously.

Defensive Player of the Year: Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream

Reese claimed her first piece of individual hardware, taking home the Defensive Player of the Year honors after a glittering campaign on that end of the floor.

Reese anchored Atlanta’s defense, the third-best in the WNBA during the regular season. When she was on the floor, the Dream limited opponents to 7.9 points per 100 possessions fewer than they did when she was off the floor.

The third-year standout put forth a memorable campaign, ranking highly in a variety of defensive analytics. She led the league in rebounding for a third-straight year and finished third in steals (1.8).

Reese commanded 46 of 74 votes, 26 more than second-place Gabby Williams. A’ja Wilson finished in a distant third place, fielding four votes.

Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx

Like point guard, like coach. Reeve, too, collected some hardware during award season, landing her record fifth Coach of the Year prize.

The laurels marked the culmination of a memorable campaign than saw Minnesota overcome myriad departures — and Napheesa Collier’s lengthy injury absence — to climb to the top of the WNBA standings.

Reeve, the league’s all-time winningest tactician, was central to that success. She crafted a system that fit budding superstar Olivia Miles like a glove, propelling the team to ample regular-season success.

The Lynx finished with the joint-seventh-best record in franchise history. Reeve, having authored up a memorable attack and defense, led the charge. While the season ended in heartbreak for Minnesota, its regular-season success under its skipper was certain to garner intrigue from voters.

MORE: Where A’ja Wilson’s MVP count ranks among sport GOATs

Rookie of the Year: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx

Miles finished off her glistening maiden campaign with a flourish, capturing Rookie of the Year honors. The Lynx guard produced highlights in bunches in her first season, averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists for first-seeded Minnesota.

Miles’ performances tailed off in the postseason, helping condemn the Lynx to a premature postseason exit. Still, her regular-season exploits were historic. They clearly left an impact on the voters, too; Miles became one of five players to be selected as unanimous Rookie of the Year winners, joining Aliyah Boston, A’ja Wilson, Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles and Candace Parker.

Most Improved Player

Wings forward Jessica Shepard was named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2026. Long considered one of the league’s better role players, Shepard took a star turn in 2026, seeing her averages leap to 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in her first year in Dallas.

For her efforts, she was rewarded with her first All-Star appearance. Shepard finished the season with six triple-doubles, the joint-second-highest total in a single-season in league history, trailing only Alyssa Thomas (who recorded eight in 2025 and six in 2023).

Her displays were just enough to put her past Mystics star Shakira Austin, who finished four votes short of Shepard’s award-winning tally. Fire youngster Carla Leite finished in a distant third. 

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