Aces’ A’ja Wilson named WNBA Defensive Player of Year

Aces All-Star forward A’ja Wilson was named the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.

She is the first Aces player to win the award.

“Her defense probably has been the best surprise of this whole thing,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said in mid-May.

Wilson received 20 votes from a national panel of 56 sports writers and broadcasters. Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was second with 14 votes, and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart finished third with 13 votes.

Wilson, a fifth-year forward, led the WNBA with 1.9 blocks per game. She played more center than she had earlier in her career, and her career-best 7.6 defensive rebounds per game was second in the league. She also averaged 1.4 steals.

Wilson had seven games with at least four blocks and six games with at least three steals.

With the 6-foot-4-inch forward patrolling the middle, the Aces held opponents to 31.8 points per game in the lane, third fewest in the league.

“She’s the anchor there that is communicating all the time, seeing everything that’s happening,” Hammon said.

Wilson also was named to the all-defensive first team, joining Stewart, Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles and Washington Mystics guards Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins.

Aces players and coaches began campaigning for Wilson to win defensive player of the year during news conferences all season. Hammon praised her for sacrificing some of her offensive output to focus on her defensive responsibilities.

Atlanta Dream coach Tanisha Wright, a former Aces assistant, said Wilson’s defensive intensity and focus reached a new level this season.

“As a result, they’re having great team success right now,” Wright said.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.