After finishing as runner-up in last year’s Defensive Player of the Year race, Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson enters the 2025 WNBA season as the betting favorite to win the DPOY award.
Wilson garnered 26 votes from a national panel of 67 sports writers and broadcasters, coming in behind Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who received 37 votes. Collier holds the second-best odds in the DPOY market at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
Read on for the latest WNBA betting odds and best predictions for the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award:
Odds to Win 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| A'ja Wilson | Aces | +120 |
| Napheesa Collier | Lynx | +275 |
| Breanna Stewart | Liberty | +1400 |
| Angel Reese | Sky | +1700 |
| Cameron Brink | Sparks | +1800 |
| Ezi Magbegor | Storm | +2500 |
| Aliya Boston | Fever | +3000 |
| Brittney Griner | Dream | +3000 |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | Storm | +3000 |
| Alanna Smith | Lynx | +4000 |
Who Will Win WNBA Defensive Player of the Year?
Based on the latest WNBA betting lines, Wilson is the betting favorite (+120) to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. She finished as a runner-up in the DPOY race in 2024.
Wilson won consecutive DPOY trophies in 2022 and 2023. She has paced the league in blocks per game in three straight seasons:
- 2022: 1.9
- 2023: 2.2
- 2024: 2.6
Wilson has established herself as the best player in the league, winning the MVP award three times over the last five years. However, her DPOY throne depends more on how the Aces perform defensively as a team.
The Aces ranked fifth in defensive rating last year, paving the way for Collier as the Defensive Player of the Year while anchoring a Lynx team that ranked No. 2 in defensive rating. Collier finished second in the league in steals per game (1.91), fourth in defensive rebounds (7.5), and seventh in blocks (1.41) last year.
Wilson and Collier are the top two contenders in the MVP race and DPOY market. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a repeat of 2024 when one player won MVP and the other claimed DPOY.
I prefer Wilson’s chances to claim a third DPOY trophy, especially since the Aces should bounce back in 2025.
Prediction: A’ja Wilson (+120)
2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Voting
| Player | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Napheesa Collier | Lynx | 36 |
| A’ja Wilson | Aces | 26 |
| Ezi Magbegor | Storm | 3 |
| DiJonai Carrington | Sun | 1 |
| Courtney Williams | Lynx | 1 |
List of WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Winners
| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Napheesa Collier | Minnesota |
| 2023 | A’ja Wilson | Las Vegas |
| 2022 | A’ja Wilson | Las Vegas |
| 2021 | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota |
| 2020 | Candace Parker | Los Angeles |
| 2019 | Natash Howard | Seattle |
| 2018 | Alana Beard | Los Angeles |
| 2017 | Alana Beard | Los Angeles |
| 2016 | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota |
| 2015 | Brittney Griner | Phoenix |
| 2014 | Brittney Griner | Phoenix |
| 2013 | Sylvia Fowles | Chicago |
| 2012 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana |
| 2011 | Sylvia Fowles | Chicago |
| 2010 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana |
| 2009 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana |
| 2008 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles |
| 2007 | Lauren Jackson | Seattle |
| 2006 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana |
| 2005 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana |
| 2004 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles |
| 2003 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston |
| 2002 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston |
| 2001 | Debbie Black | Miami |
| 2000 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston |
| 1999 | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento |
| 1998 | Teresa Weatherspoon | New York |
| 1997 | Teresa Weatherspoon | New York |
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