Collier becomes the first Husky ever to win the award.
On Sunday, Napheesa Collier was named the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She’s the first former Husky ever to win the award after receiving 36 of a possible 67 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Collier was the backbone of a Minnesota Lynx defense that led the league with the lowest opponent effective field goal percentage and the second-best defensive rating. On an individual level, she finished second in the league with 1.9 steals per game, fourth with 7.5 defensive rebounds per game and seventh in blocks per game (1.4) — all of which were career-highs.
With eight steals against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 14, Collier set the league’s single-game high for the season and finished the year as the only player to record at least six steals in multiple contests.
Not only will she receive a trophy for winning the award, she’ll also receive a bonus of $5,150.
With Collier as the focal point, the Minnesota Lynx earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and reached the semifinals after sweeping the Phoenix Mercury. Collier put up 80 points in that series, most by any player in back-to-back playoff games in WNBA history.
The Lynx currently trail the Connecticut Sun 0-1 but will have a chance to even the series on Tuesday.