The 2024 WNBA regular season has come to a close, and it's a quick turnaround to the playoffs, which get underway Sunday. Before that happens, it's time to look back at another exciting summer of basketball and make picks for every major award, plus give out a Finals prediction.
Some of these honors have been wrapped up for a while. Most notably, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson is a lock for MVP after one of the best individual seasons the league has ever seen. Likewise, Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark is a sure bet for Rookie of the Year following a historic start to her career.
Almost everything else, though is up for debate.
Without further ado, here are CBS Sports' experts predictions for all major awards and which team will lift the trophy.
MVP
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
A'ja Wilson | A'ja Wilson | A'ja Wilson |
No surprise here. Wilson has been utterly dominant. She became the first player to score 1,000 points in a season, set the single-season rebounding record and led the league in blocks. Wilson will likely be the unanimous MVP and join Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as the only players to win the award three times.
Rookie of the Year
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Caitlin Clark | Caitlin Clark | Caitlin Clark |
Again, this one is obvious. Clark put together a historic rookie campaign, in which she set the league's single-season assist record, single-game assist record, rookie scoring record and the rookie 3-point record. She also led the league in assists and helped the Fever get to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Defensive Player of the Year
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Napheesa Collier |
The Lynx were the biggest surprise this season, and they hit the 30-win mark for the first time in franchise history thanks largely to their dominant defense. Napheesa Collier was their best and most important player on that side of the ball. She finished second in the league in steals (1.9), tied for sixth in blocks (1.4) and second in defensive win shares (3.6).
Most Improved Player
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Three different players received votes for Most Improved Player, which reflects the fact that there wasn't a standout choice this season. Alanna Smith made major strides as a 3-point shooter and defender, Sabrina Ionescu's inside-the-arc approach on offense was much better and Dijonai Carrington took a leap on defense.
Sixth Player of the Year
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Leonie Fiebich | Leonie Fiebich |
Prior to the season, 24-year-old German rookie Leonie Fiebich was not on many people's radar. But as the summer went along, Fiebich grew into one of the Liberty's most important players and allowed them to stay atop the league despite absences to the likes of Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. She finished seventh in the league in 3-point shooting (43.3%) and had the sixth-best plus-minus of any player (+279).
Coach of the Year
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Cheryl Reeve | Cheryl Reeve | Cheryl Reeve |
Coach of the Year can often be a difficult pick to make, but not this season. Cheryl Reeve was spectacular in turning the Lynx into one of the best teams in the league, which no one predicted back in May. The Lynx earned the No. 2 seed, reached the 30-win mark for the first time in franchise history and had the second-best defense in the league. If Reeve wins, she'll become the first coach to earn this honor four times.
Executive of the Year
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Clare Duwelius | Talisa Rhea | Clare Duwelius |
Talisa Rhea and the Storm made the biggest splash in the offseason by signing two future Hall of Famers in Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, then added Gabby Williams after the Olympics, but the moves didn't quite work as well as they hoped. The additions Clare Duwelius made for the Lynx meanwhile, flew under the radar, but Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams, Natisha Hiedeman and Myisha Hines-Allen turned the team into a legit contender.
First Team All-WNBA
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Caitlin Clark | Caitlin Clark | Caitlin Clark |
Napheesa Collier | Napheesa Collier | Napheesa Collier |
Sabrina Ionescu | Breanna Stewart | |
Breanna Stewart | Alyssa Thomas | |
A'ja Wilson | A'ja Wilson | A'ja Wilson |
Second Team All-WNBA
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Kahleah Copper | ||
Skylar Diggins-Smith | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Sabrina Ionescu | Sabrina Ionescu | |
Jonquel Jones | Nneka Ogwumike | Jonquel Jones |
Nneka Ogwumike | Alyssa Thomas | Nneka Ogwumike |
All-Defensive First Team
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Napheesa Collier | Napheesa Collier | |
Napheesa Collier | Ezi Magbegor | |
Breanna Stewart | Breanna Stewart | Alanna Smith |
Alyssa Thomas | Courtney Williams | Breanna Stewart |
A'ja Wilson | A'ja Wilson | A'ja Wilson |
All-Defensive Second Team
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Dijonai Carrington | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Dijonai Carrington |
Skylar Diggins-Smith | Leonie Fiebich | Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Jonquel Jones | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton |
Nneka Ogwumike | Nneka Ogwumike | |
Alanna Smith | Alyssa Thomas | Alyssa Thomas |
All-Rookie Team
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Caitlin Clark | Caitlin Clark | Caitlin Clark |
Kamilla Cardoso | Kamilla Cardoso | |
Leonie Fiebich | Leonie Fiebich | Leonie Fiebich |
Rickea Jackson | Rickea Jackson | |
Angel Reese | Angel Reese |
Finals
Jack Maloney | Erica Ayala | Isabel Gonzalez |
Liberty over Lynx | Lynx over Liberty | Liberty over Lynx |
The Liberty and Lynx were the two best teams in the regular season, and all three experts predicted both to get to the Finals. There were two nods for the Liberty to win their first title in franchise history and one for the Lynx to lift the trophy for a record-setting fifth time.
Perhaps most notably, no one picked the Las Vegas Aces to complete a three-peat. Prior to the season, that was the unanimous choice.
