Awards

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NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2025 – Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon has been named the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the WNBA announced today. She has earned the honor as the league’s top reserve for the first time and become the first player to win the award with the Dream.
Hillmon received 44 of 72 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman (22 votes) and forward Jessica Shepard (four votes) finished in second and third place, respectively. Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga and Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb each received one vote.  To be eligible for the award, a player had to play more games as a reserve than as a starter.
In her fourth WNBA season, Hillmon averaged career highs of 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 25.5 minutes in 44 games (17 starts). She helped the Dream (30-14) set a franchise record with 30 wins, doubling its total from last season. Atlanta secured the No. 3 seed in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google after finishing as the eighth seed in 2024.
Hillmon provided a spark off the bench throughout the season, recording eight games with at least 10 points and five rebounds as a reserve – the second-most such games in the league (Malonga, 12). The Dream went 5-0 in games when she scored 15 or more points.
Hillmon made 53 three-pointers this season after entering 2025 with one career three-pointer. On July 30 against the Dallas Wings, she scored a career-high 21 points and connected on five three-pointers, including a tiebreaking three with 2.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Durability has been a hallmark of Hillmon’s career since she joined the Dream as the 15th overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm out of the University of Michigan, where she was a four-time All-Big Ten First Team selection. She has played in a franchise-record 151 consecutive regular-season games for Atlanta, including all 124 games over the last three seasons.
In honor of being named the Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, Hillmon will receive $5,150 and a trophy designed to commemorate her achievement.
Below are the voting results for the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award and the list of recipients since the award’s inception in 2007.
 
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2025 KIA WNBA SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
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<td width="208">Player</td>
<td width="208">Team</td>
<td width="208">Votes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="208">Naz Hillmon</td>
<td width="208">Atlanta Dream</td>
<td width="208">44</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="208">Natisha Hiedeman</td>
<td width="208">Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td width="208">22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="208">Jessica Shepard</td>
<td width="208">Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td width="208">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="208">Dominique Malonga</td>
<td width="208">Seattle Storm</td>
<td width="208">1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="208">Sami Whitcomb</td>
<td width="208">Phoenix Mercury</td>
<td width="208">1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<table style="width: 77.6027%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 133.464%;text-align: center" colspan="3" width="487">KIA WNBA SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">Year</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Player</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Team</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2025</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Naz Hillmon</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Atlanta Dream</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%">2024</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%">Tiffany Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%">Las Vegas Aces</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2023</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Alysha Clark</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Las Vegas Aces</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2022</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Brionna Jones</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Connecticut Sun</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2021</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Kelsey Plum</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Las Vegas Aces</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2020</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Dearica Hamby</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Las Vegas Aces</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2019</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Dearica Hamby</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Las Vegas Aces</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2018</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Jonquel Jones</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Connecticut Sun</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2017</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Sugar Rodgers</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">New York Liberty</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2016</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Jantel Lavender</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Los Angeles Sparks</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2015</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Allie Quigley</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Chicago Sky</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2014</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Allie Quigley</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Chicago Sky</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2013</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Riquna Williams</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Tulsa Shock</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2012</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Renee Montgomery</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Connecticut Sun</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2011</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">DeWanna Bonner</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Phoenix Mercury</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2010</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">DeWanna Bonner</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Phoenix Mercury</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2009</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">DeWanna Bonner</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Phoenix Mercury</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2008</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Candice Wiggins</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Minnesota Lynx</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 22.8963%" width="112">2007</td>
<td style="width: 36.5949%" width="182">Plenette Pierson</td>
<td style="width: 73.9726%" width="192">Detroit Shock</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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About Kia America
Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia America continues to top automotive quality surveys. Kia is recognized as one of the TIME World&#8217;s Most Sustainable Companies of 2024. Kia serves as the &#8220;Official Automotive Partner&#8221; of the WNBA and NBA and offers a range of gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles sold through a network of nearly 800 dealers in the U.S., including several cars and SUVs proudly assembled in America*. 
For media information, including photography, visit <a href="http://www.kiamedia.com">www.kiamedia.com</a>. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert__;!!PMETyfE!LQ_AWgu_xS8m2ZdpIVOeFIM6CjzB7GXan16p-xQBBSMFDqSqBaxovepbT109Px9yCDy8QlykRUjGqeA$">www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert</a> 
* Select trims of the 2025 all-electric EV6 and EV9 all-electric three-row SUV, Sportage (excludes HEV and PHEV models), Sorento (excludes HEV and PHEV models), and Telluride are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

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Atlanta Dream's Naz Hillmon Named 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year

First Round Game Recap

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Game Recap: Fever vs. Dream (9/18/25)

Analysis

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Editor&#8217;s Note: Read more WNBA coverage from the Athletic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/">here</a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.
***
Editor’s note: This article is part of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/tag/programbuilders/" data-index="0">Program Builders</a> series, focusing on the behind-the-scenes executives and people fueling the future growth of their sports.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-203966" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134232.906.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134232.906.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134232.906-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134232.906-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134232.906-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
Early in the third quarter of their seventh game of the season, the Atlanta Dream trailed the Seattle Storm by 17 points on the road. For much of the first half, the Dream played at a slow pace, using a stagnating offense. The ball stuck and players didn’t attack downhill the way first-year WNBA coach Karl Smesko had wanted.
Smesko called a timeout just over a minute after halftime. He reminded his players — a group that he had been coaching for less than six weeks — that the game was far from over. If they could attack the rim and get stops on defense, they would have a chance to be back in the contest.
Following the regroup, three-time All-Star Rhyne Howard attacked right, hitting a 10-foot floater and drawing a foul as well. On the ensuing Atlanta possession, Howard broke Storm center Ezi Magbegor down off the dribble, sinking another floater and drawing a foul. A 17-point deficit became 11. The Dream had life.
Atlanta went on to win by seven that night. Howard finished with 33 points, while her backcourt partner, Allisha Gray, added 28 points. That night in Seattle, Dream general manager Dan Padover reflected on what he had seen so far. “That was the first time I really started to think, ‘OK, we might have something here,’” he said.
Padover’s inclination proved true.
What the Dream turned out to have was a roster capable of amassing the most wins (30) in franchise history. Smesko won the most games for a first-year WNBA head coach, and Atlanta finished with a top four playoff seed for the first time since 2018. With a win on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Indiana Fever, the Dream could move to the league semifinals for the first time in seven years. “Big thing for us is understanding that the job is not done in this series,” Smesko said after their series-opening 80-68 victory.
When Padover was hired in October 2021, after winning executive of the year twice in three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, he said that Atlanta owner Larry Gottesdiener told him to treat the franchise as if it were an expansion team, insofar as the general manager had an ability to shape the roster however he saw fit. Padover saw the Dream’s rebuild as needing time. “Don’t skip steps,” he said. But unlike expansion teams, Atlanta lacked players. It had just three players under contract heading into the 2022 offseason.
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“We were just gonna have to do things differently,” Padover said.
Without lottery luck, that meant trades — 10 to be exact. Since 2022, the Dream acquired key draft picks (including the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, which was used to select Howard, and a second-round selection that same year used on likely 2025 Sixth Player of the Year Naz Hillmon) and players (including Gray and guard Jordin Canada) in deals with other teams.
There was no magic switch that flipped inside the Dream organization this season, just a gradual build that needed a steady steward.
Smesko came to Atlanta with the reputation as an offensive guru and a winner at Florida Gulf Coast. Entering the 2024 college season, he boasted the third-highest winning percentage among active coaches, behind UConn’s Geno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey. But it’s his intentional methods that struck players right away. “Everything he says has a reason, has a purpose, and it all makes sense,” four-time All-Star center Brionna Jones said.
Smesko doesn’t put together practice plans, instead calling them “progress plans.” In training camp, he routinely stopped intra-squad scrimmages when he saw Atlanta players leaking out in transition without ensuring they saw a teammate grab a defensive rebound with two — not one, but two — eyes. (The focus has paid off, as the Dream are the No. 1 defensive rebounding team in the league.)
Atlanta is No. 2 in defensive rating, but its offensive evolution has been key, too. The Dream went from 12th in offensive rating in 2024 to second. But more than any overriding philosophy, Smesko said he has tried to keep things simple.
“I try to be careful not to overcomplicate things too much,” he said. “Let the best players in the world play, teach them how they can utilize their skills a little bit better to even become more efficient with their talents.”
For no player has that approach been more evident than Gray, who went from an All-Star-level player to the league’s best guard in 2025. She started in this year’s All-Star Game. “Just a clarifying moment of what a big-time player she’s become,” Padover said. She is likely to finish in the top four in MVP voting, averaging career-highs in points (18.4), rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.5) per game.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-203967" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134506.017.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134506.017.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134506.017-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134506.017-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Thumbnail-2025-09-16T134506.017-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
Atlanta acquired Gray via a trade in January 2023 with the Dallas Wings. Padover said that at the time, Atlanta’s analytics model showed she was one of the most undervalued players in the WNBA. The Dream sent Dallas their No. 3 pick and a first-round pick in 2025 in return. “I was very bullish on what she could become here,” Padover said. “I knew that she had a much higher ceiling than she currently was playing at in Dallas.”
But it would have been hard to predict this exact leap.
Padover saw a player with not only All-Star potential, but one who might want to stay in Atlanta. Gray grew up two hours south of the city and attended South Carolina. With the Dream, Gray has felt the most comfortable. “I feel like I’ve had the ultimate green light,” she said earlier this season.
It helps that she does not have to star alone. Alongside Howard, who is now one of her closest friends, Gray can feed off another play-making wing. The duo has a plus-8.7 net rating this year, the highest mark in their three years playing together. Howard has also assisted Gray 36 times this season, tied for fourth most league-wide among guard pairs.
Part of Padover’s recognition that this year might be especially notable for the Dream stems from seeing his players want to be in Atlanta. That might sound like a simple concept, he said, but as a franchise that isn’t a traditional free-agent destination, buy-in is important.
“Our foundation is coming from Atlanta,” he said. “Continuity on teams is just as big of an advantage as talent.”
The Dream signed future Hall of Famer Brittney Griner and Jones this past offseason — both moves paying dividends. Such signings have been more anomalous than expected. It’s why Padover called it a “monumental moment for our franchise.”
Last winter, Padover recognized that the job ahead was not only to win, but to convince Griner and Jones — and frankly, the rest of the league — that Atlanta could be more than a plucky story.
“Our job is day in, day out to show these players why not only they should come here, but why they should stay here,” he said. “And I’ve always said the most important thing is to recruit your own players.”
But no pitch will be stronger than a deep playoff run.
Smesko was clear in their first training camp meeting that he felt the Dream could be the league’s most improved team — they were — and that they expected to be in the playoffs — they are. He told players they had the personnel to win a championship.
“We’re not the only team that’s capable of going on a run and winning this,” he said. “So somebody’s gonna play really well, (and) you’re gonna have to probably make your own breaks a couple (of) times. But we definitely have a team that’s capable of winning the whole thing.”
He’s been asked repeatedly to reflect on their lack of postseason experience as a group.
“If you can win that first series, suddenly you’ve got experience winning a playoff series, and then you build off it from there,” he said.
“Build” is the apt word. They take pride in constructing a contender. What remains to be seen is what exactly the ceiling is.
Program Builders is part of a partnership with Range Rover Sport. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/ben-pickman/" aria-label="Ben Pickman's Author Page">Ben Pickman</a> is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the WNBA and women’s college basketball. Previously, he was a writer at Sports Illustrated where he primarily covered women’s basketball and the NBA. He has also worked at CNN Sports and the Wisconsin Center for Journalism Ethics. Follow Ben on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/benpickman" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Follow Ben on Twitter">@benpickman</a>
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Atlanta Dream’s WNBA Playoff Chase was Part of a ‘Progress Plan’

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard scored 20 points apiece to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 80-68 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round playoff series.
Naz Hillmon, who was the AP Sixth Person of the Year, added 16 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Dream. Atlanta can advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Brionna Jones made a tiebreaking layup and Gray hit a pull-up jumper before Howard hit a 3-pointer that gave Atlanta a 47-40 lead almost four minutes into the second half and the Fever trailed the rest of the way.
Kelsey Mitchell led No. 7 seed Indiana with 27 points. Odyssey Sims scored 10 points and Aliyah Boston grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists. The Fever were missing Caitlin Clark, who is sidelined for the playoffs with a groin injury she suffered in the middle of July.
Indiana was also missing Sophie Cunningham (knee), Aari McDonald (foot) and Sydney Colson (knee).
Mitchell made a free throw that cut Indiana’s deficit to 10 points with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter but Hillmon, who scored 14 second-half points, answered with a three-point play and Atlanta led by double figures there on.
The Dream, under first-year coach Karl Smesko, doubled their win total from last year, shattered the club record for wins in a season (30) and finished with their highest win percentage (.682) in franchise history.
Mitchell hit a fast-break 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that gave Indiana a 15-6 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

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Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream (First Round, Game 1)

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Game Recap: Fever vs. Dream (9/14/25)

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Naz Hillmon with 16 Points vs. Indiana Fever

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Atlanta Dream vs. Indiana Fever - Game Highlights

2025 Playoffs

We have finally arrived at the finish line of the 2025 WNBA regular season. The postseason bracket is finally set, with some wildly entertaining first round matchups such as the Seattle Storm against the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty against the Phoenix Mercury. 
Ahead of the first day of the First Round contests on Sunday, September 14, we can dive into the X-factors on each playoff team, and how key those players’ contributions will be for their teams looking to make deep runs. 
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<h3>Minnesota Lynx: Natisha Hiedeman (18.9 MPG)</h3>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203703" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2233255277.jpg" alt="Natisha Hiedeman #2 of the Minnesota Lynx dribbles the ball against the Seattle Storm" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2233255277.jpg 4917w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2233255277-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Regular season stats: 9.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.8 APG
The Lynx have plenty to write home about in their starting lineup, beginning with All-Star forward Napheesa Collier. They’re a powerhouse on both ends of the court, and they have been the runaway top seed in the league for quite a while. 
Of course, a team with championship aspirations is only as good as its bench. That’s where Hiedeman makes her case as one of Minnesota’s most valuable players. The seven year veteran has completely come into her own this season, averaging a career-best 49 percent on her field goal attempts on a steady diet of 6.8 shots per game. 
She’s a steady force in the midrange, equipped with speed which can muck up a lot of defensive assignments. It’s what makes her so valuable to the Lynx as they seek out offense whenever Collier, Kayla McBride, or fellow StudBud Courtney Williams don’t have the ball in their hands. 
She’s a huge X-factor for the Lynx. Her doggedness on defense is often underrated, and her ability to sneak around screens will be huge for her ability to battle with physical guards such as Skylar Diggins/Veronica Burton. 
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<h3>Las Vegas Aces: NaLyssa Smith (22.7 MPG w/ LVA)</h3>
Regular season stats w/ LVA: 8.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG
When the Aces traded for Smith from the Dallas Wings this season, it wasn’t necessarily seen as a “blockbuster” deal for a team witnessing some major regression. Smith, a fourth year forward who has already bounced around the league a fair deal, landed with Las Vegas amidst some major changes to their roster and starting lineup. 
She had struggled to find a comfortable role with both the Indiana Fever and the Wings prior to ending up with the Aces, so the chances of her doing so while working behind A’ja Wilson felt slim. 
What we’ve seen from Smith’s 27 games with Las Vegas have been anything but questionable. Smith is such a huge X-factor for the Aces not because of her ability to become a sponge around Wilson, which has seemingly contributed to her newfound confidence with scoring in the post and acting as a rim protector when Wilson is on the bench, but because of her durability. She hasn’t missed a single game in two seasons, and her health is nothing to sneer at as a measurement of her value to this Aces team. 
Her ability to stay on the court is exactly why Las Vegas has benefited so strongly from acquiring her. The team went from zero answers at backup to Wilson to one, very reliable, one. 
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<h3>Atlanta Dream: Naz Hillmon (25.5 MPG)</h3>
Regular season stats: 8.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.4 APG
The Dream, heralding a new head coach in Karl Smesko and a promising core in the duo of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, have completely dominated the 2025 regular season. They were consistently atop the standings thanks to some otherworldly shooting improvement from Gray and a solid bench helmed by future Hall of Famer Brittney Griner, and thanks to the impact of Naz Hillmon throughout the year. 
Hillmon, another Dream player who decided to improve drastically upon her three point shot, has developed into one of the most important players for Atlanta as they look ahead to the postseason. In her first two years in the WNBA, she shot zero percent from three point range &#8211; she wasn’t even looking in the basket’s direction if she was 22 feet out. This year, she’s attempting 3.8 per game and hitting them at a clip of 32.1 percent. 
If she can maintain her confidence from deep while coming off the bench, she can help keep Atlanta’s dream alive of making a deep postseason run. Gray and Howard are sure to be the focal points of any teams’ defense in the playoffs &#8211; Hillmon can make them pay. 
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<h3>Phoenix Mercury: Kahleah Copper (27.2 MPG)</h3>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203705" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2222807547.jpg" alt="Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury reacts after making a basket during the second half against the Las Vegas Aces" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2222807547.jpg 2988w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2222807547-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Regular season stats: 15.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG
Copper is not a “fringe” star or performer for the Mercury by any means. On the contrary, she’s one of the most important pieces to their offense that’s led by perpetual engine Alyssa Thomas. Her three level scoring capabilities in addition to her length on defense that can quickly disrupt screens or backcuts are what make Copper an All-Star in any other year. Injuries are the only thing that kept her back from achieving that accolade in 2025. 
Nonetheless, she’s an X-factor in the postseason because of the Mercury’s first round matchup against the New York Liberty. 
The Liberty have struggled to find a perfect defensive scheme to stop Copper from getting hot, and the closest defender they have to pair against her is Leonie Fiebich. Copper’s ability to take advantage of this matchup &#8211; which she’s done consistently in the regular season &#8211; is what makes her an X-factor for Phoenix ahead of the playoffs. She’s averaging 22 points per game on 41 percent shooting from deep against New York in 2025, creating a formidable task for Fiebich and the Liberty. 
Health makes her another X-factor, as she only played in 28 games out of a possible 44 this year. But, she seems completely healthy to close out the year, averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and just over one assist and steal over her last ten games for Phoenix. 
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<h3>New York Liberty: Leonie Fiebich (28.4 MPG)</h3>
Regular season stats: 8.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG 
 
Fiebich, conversely, will be the Liberty’s X-factor this postseason. She’s the teams’ best 3 and D wing, able to get hot from three point range and savvy enough to navigate through the chaos and get decent open looks from beyond the arc consistently. On defense, she is often paired up against opposing teams’ wings, like Copper, and asked to stop the bleeding from beyond the arc. 
One stat that stands out for Fiebich ahead of this postseason is her true shooting percentage, a stat that measures field goals made from both two and three point range, and one that measures free throw efficiency. Fiebich has the best true shooting percentage of anyone in the WNBA in 2025 amongst players who have featured in 30 or more contests. 
She’s a threat, full stop. However, Fiebich’s usage percentage of just 12.8 percent this season doesn’t feel like a recipe for success for New York, especially if they’re trying to find shooting outside of Sabrina Ionescu, Emma Meesseman, and Jonquel Jones from beyond the arc. 
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<h3>Indiana Fever: Natasha Howard (24.1 MPG)</h3>
Regular season stats: 11.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG
Howard has been one of the Fever players that kept the ship afloat this season. Playing in all 44 contests, Howard has been a vital veteran presence in a sea of changing faces in the starting lineup for Indiana due to numerous injuries. She’s managed to provide reliable scoring in the post, hitting 55 percent of her field goals this year. That’s good for second best in her career, just behind her 2016 year with the Lynx.  
Another stat that speaks to her impact on the Fever’s injury-riddled squad is how many steals she alone has contributed to Indiana &#8211; 28 percent of them through 44 games, good for best on the team. Her defensive impact when slotted in alongside Aliyah Boston can’t be ignored in the postseason. 
Howard has struggled to be a proper rim protector for Indiana this season, with Boston often taking over in that regard. But, she’s still got the length to properly end an opponent’s drive into the paint. A wall is easily constructed by herself and Boston in the post, and that’s not a tool many teams can utilize in the postseason. 
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<h3>Golden State Valkyries: Cecilia Zandalasini (23.7 MPG)</h3>
Regular season stats: 10.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.7 APG
Zandalasini recently returned to the Valkyries from a calf injury, a welcome sight considering she had been one of the teams’ best bench scorers prior to going down with that. A former Minnesota Lynx X-factor, Zandalasini is suddenly going to be thrust into postseason action for the WNBA’s latest expansion team. 
As mentioned, her shooting this season has been unreal &#8211; she’s averaging 44 percent from three point range on 4.7 attempts per game. She can start or come off the bench for Golden State, providing a pop whenever she’s utilized. Her length is key to her ability to match up well with other wings this postseason, and her defense has been solid around the perimeter. 
As Golden State navigates a postseason without Kayla Thornton back from injury, Zandalasini comes back at the perfect time to provide versatility on defense and to contribute to the third-highest scoring bench in the WNBA at 24.4 points per game. 
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<h3>Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga (14.3 PPG)</h3>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203722" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2234035186.jpg" alt="Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm looks on against the New York Liberty" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2234035186.jpg 3891w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2234035186-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2234035186-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2234035186-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Regular season stats: 7.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG
After a slow start from the French rookie, Malonga has quickly become an important piece to Seattle’s bench unit led by Erica Wheeler. Now averaging just over 14 minutes per game, Malonga has begun to look like every bit of the scoring threat she’s been while playing overseas. Her 22 point explosions against the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces were proof that she had finally arrived with Seattle, and had clearly endeared herself to head coach Noelle Quinn. 
Malonga is an X-factor for Seattle as they prepare to face off with the Las Vegas Aces. Seattle’s bench is averaging 18.4 points per game, good for only 11th in the league. More utilization for the rookie center could go a long way for helping produce a more efficient offense when starters are resting. If the Aces are also relying on Smith’s backup minutes when Wilson is off the floor, the best matchup defensively for her would be Malonga. 
A key stat reflecting just how impactful she is when on the court is her PIE, or Player Impact Estimate. She’s got the second-highest PIE on the Storm (13.8), just behind Nneka Ogwumike (15.9). Malonga can throw a wrench into some game plans if Quinn decides to up her minutes at any point in the first round, or beyond.

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2025 WNBA Playoffs X-Factors: First Round

Top Plays

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Top Plays of the Day, 9/10/25

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Atlanta Dream Top Plays vs. Connecticut Sun

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Naz Hillmon

2025 Season with the Dream:
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<ul data-start="0" data-end="1900" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">
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Authored the best season of her career in 2025, emerging as a Sixth Player of the Year and Most Improved Player candidate.
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<li data-start="139" data-end="229">
Established herself as one of the league’s most dependable and versatile forwards.
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Anchored Atlanta’s second unit early with toughness, rebounding, and timely scoring.
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Dominant vs. Connecticut (5/25): +27 plus-minus and 9 rebounds in Dream’s largest win of the year.
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<li data-start="426" data-end="616">
Posted back-to-back strong outings vs. Los Angeles (5/17) and Seattle (6/1), including 11 pts, 7 reb, and +24, with six offensive rebounds (nearly matching Seattle’s team total).
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Offensive growth showed in June:
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14 pts and a then-career-high 2 threes vs. Connecticut (6/6).
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10 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast vs. Washington (6/15).
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Developed a reliable perimeter shot, stringing together a franchise-best streak of games with a made three.
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Breakout performance at Dallas (7/30): Career-high 21 pts, 5 made threes, including game-winning triple with 2.8 seconds left.
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Followed with 18 pts and 9 reb to spark her most productive stretch of the season.
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Made her first start of the year on August 1, reflecting her rising role.
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<li data-start="1199" data-end="1358">
Recorded 14 pts and 13 reb vs. Washington (8/3), then posted back-to-back double-digit rebounding games (11 reb vs. Chicago, 13 pts/13 reb at Phoenix).
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Grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds vs. Las Vegas (8/27).
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Closed regular season strong with 17 pts, 6 ast, 6 reb vs. Connecticut (9/1) and 15 pts vs. Los Angeles (9/3).
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Set a franchise record on July 13 with her 128th consecutive game played; streak now stands at 151, third-longest active in the WNBA.
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Led the Dream in total plus-minus and remained a steady, high-impact rotational piece.
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Crowned the 2025 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and AP Sixth Player of the Year (9/12) — becoming the first player in franchise history to win both honors.
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2024 Season with the Dream:
<ul>
<li>Played 40 games for the second straight year for the Dream in 2024, averaging 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.</li>
<li>Totaled 10 points and 11 rebounds for the second double-double of her career and first of the season against Washington (9/13).</li>
<li>Finished with a season-high of 13 rebounds in her fourth start of the season against Seattle (8/16). The forward surpassed 400 career rebounds, becoming the 12th Dream player in franchise history to reach the milestone.</li>
<li>Eclipsed 400 career points against Chicago (7/10), reaching the milestone after securing an offensive rebound to finish with the putback as the first quarter concluded. She totaled a season high of 12 points, in addition to six rebounds.</li>
<li>Set a new season high in rebounding with nine against Indiana (6/21).</li>
<li>Recorded first 3-pointer of the season and of career against Minnesota (5/26).</li>
<li>Played an energetic 19 mins against Dallas, providing a spark off the bench &#8211; securing 5 rebounds, 4 points and 3 assists (5/21).</li>
</ul>
2023 Highlights with the Dream  
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International:
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<li>Played in Australia for the Southside Flyers earning All WNBL First Team Honors </li>
<li>Played for the Melbourne Boomers (2023) </li>
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2022 Season (Atlanta)
<ul>
<li>Started in 12 of 24 games played.</li>
<li>Franchise records:
<ul>
<li>First Dream rookie to average at least 5 total rebounds per game with 5.1.</li>
<li>Most total rebounds (172) in a season by a Dream rookie.</li>
<li>Most total rebounds in a game by a Dream rookie in franchise history: 14 vs. Seattle (7/24).</li>
<li>Most defensive rebounds in a game by a Dream rookie in franchise history: 11 vs. Connecticut (7/15).</li>
<li>Second-most total defensive rebounds (120) and defensive rebounds per game (3.5) in a season by a Dream rookie.</li>
<li>Second-most total offensive rebounds (52) and offensive rebounds per game (1.53) by a Dream rookie.</li>
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</li>
<li>First big performance of the season came against Indiana (5/17), where she scored 8 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.</li>
<li>Recorded her first block against Chicago (6/3) with 3 defensive rebounds.</li>
<li>Pulled down a team-high 9 rebounds (4 offensive) at Connecticut (6/15), adding on 8 points and 3 assists.</li>
<li>Logged her first career double-double with a season-best 13 points and 11 rebounds against Connecticut (7/15).</li>
<li>Pulled down a season-best 14 rebounds against Seattle (7/24), which is tied for the most total rebounds by a Dream player this season (Monique Billings 5/7) and is the most ever for a Dream rookie in franchise history.</li>
<li>Finished the year with four double-figure scoring games and three double-figure rebounding games.</li>
</ul>
USA Basketball: 
<ul>
<li>Gold Medals: 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup and  2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.</li>
<li>As a member of the 2018 USA U18 National Team, she started in one of six games and averaged 10.3 pointes per game and 5.7 rebounds per game to help the USA to a 6-0 record.</li>
<li>Member of the 2019 USA U19 World Cup Team that finished with a 7-0 record and captured the gold medal with a 74-70 overtime victory over Australia in Bangkok, Thailand. She started all seven games and averaged 7.4 pointes per game and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game.</li>
<li>Named to the 2021 USA Women&#8217;s AmeriCup Team on June 6, 2021.</li>
</ul>