Awards

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2025 – Atlanta Dream General Manager Dan Padover has been named the 2025 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year, the WNBA announced today.
This marks a record third WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award for Padover and the first since he earned the honor in 2020 and 2021 with the Las Vegas Aces. Padover becomes the first three-time WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year, breaking a tie with two-time winner Cheryl Reeve (2019 and 2024).
The voting panel to determine the WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year was composed of the general manager from each of the league’s 13 active teams, plus the general manager of the Toronto Tempo, which will begin play in 2026. Each voter submitted a ballot with a first-place vote, second-place vote and third-place vote, and they could not vote for themselves. The executives received three points for each first-place vote, two points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Padover was named on the most ballots (12, including eight first-place votes). The Golden State Valkyries’ Ohemaa Nyanin (10 ballots) finished in second place and the Phoenix Mercury’s Nick U’ren (nine ballots) placed third. The Washington Mystics’ Jamila Wideman (three ballots) was fourth.
With Padover in his fourth year as general manager, Atlanta finished tied for the second-best record in the WNBA (30-14) in the regular season, doubling its win total from 2024. The Dream earned the No. 3 seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google.
Leading into the 2025 season, Padover first hired Karl Smesko as Atlanta’s new head coach, bringing the longtime Florida Gulf Coast University coach to the WNBA for the first time after a decorated career in which he recorded the third-highest winning percentage (.843) among active head coaches in NCAA Division women’s basketball.
Padover then signed veteran free agent forward Brionna Jones and veteran free agent center Brittney Griner, adding the multi-time All-Stars to a roster that already included All-Star guards Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Padover had previously selected Howard with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm and acquired Gray from the Dallas Wings in a January 2023 trade. In April, Padover selected guard Te-Hina Paopao with the 18th pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm.
In guiding the Dream to a franchise-record 30 wins, Smesko finished with the most victories ever by a first-year WNBA head coach and helped Atlanta improve in key statistical categories. The Dream’s year-over-year improvement included moving from 12th to second in offensive rating (108.2), sixth to second in defensive rating (98.9) and 12th to third in assists per game (21.4).
Gray was a three-time Kia WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month (May, June and August), finished fourth in the voting for the Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player Award and was selected as an All-Star starter for the first time in her career. She ranked seventh in the WNBA in scoring, averaging a career-high 18.4 points per game.
Howard, who was named an All-Star for the third time, led all WNBA players in made three-point shots per game (3.1) and became the first player in league history to record multiple games of nine made threes in a career (June 13 vs. the Chicago Sky and Sept. 5 vs. the Los Angeles Sparks).
Jones led the WNBA in total offensive rebounds (136) and ranked second in offensive boards per game (3.1). She also was named to her fourth AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game.
In addition, Naz Hillmon, a 2022 draft pick by Padover, was named the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year after recording career-high averages in scoring (8.6 ppg), rebounding (6.2 rpg) and assists (2.1 apg). Paopao ranked fifth among 2025 rookies with 2.4 assists per game.
Below is the list of recipients of the WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award since its inception in 2017.
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WNBA BASKETBALL EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%;height: 216px">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Dan Padover</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Atlanta Dream</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2025</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Cheryl Reeve</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2024</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Jonathan Kolb</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">New York Liberty</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2023</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">James Wade</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Chicago Sky</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2022</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Dan Padover</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Las Vegas Aces</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2021</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Dan Padover</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Las Vegas Aces</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2020</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Cheryl Reeve</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2019</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Chris Sienko</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Atlanta Dream</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2018</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Curt Miller</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Connecticut Sun</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2017</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

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Atlanta Dream's Dan Padover Wins Record Third WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award

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Top 10 Plays of the Week

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-204309" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/Picture1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="187" />
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.
 
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" width="623">
2025 KIA WNBA SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<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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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*. 
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Atlanta Dream's Naz Hillmon Named 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year

Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm and A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces vie for a rebound 

Seattle Storm v Las Vegas Aces - Game Three

Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces shoots the go-ahead basket against Nneka Ogwumike #3, Ezi Magbegor #13 and Gabby Williams #5 of the Seattle Storm

Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates with teammates after her team's 74-73 victory against the Seattle Storm

 Skylar Diggins #4 of the Seattle Storm looks on against the Las Vegas Aces

A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates during the game against the Seattle Storm

Nneka Ogwumike #3 and Gabby Williams #5 of the Seattle Storm plays defense during the game against the Las Vegas Aces 

Allisha Gray #15 of the Atlanta Dream is introduced prior to game three

Indiana Fever v Atlanta Dream - Game Three

Kelsey Mitchell #0 of the Indiana Fever handles the ball

Naz Hillmon #00 of the Atlanta Dream has this shot blocked by Aerial Powers #23 of the Indiana Fever

Rhyne Howard #10 of the Atlanta Dream celebrates during the game against the Indiana Fever

Lexie Hull #10 of the Indiana Fever and Jordin Canada #3 of the Atlanta Dream look on during first quarter

Natasha Howard #6 of the Indiana Fever celebrates after winning game three in the WNBA Playoffs

2025 Playoffs

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		<h2>Gallery Block</h2>
	</div>

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Photo Gallery: 2025 WNBA Playoffs, First Round (9/18/2025)

First Round Top Plays

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Top Plays of the Day, 9/18/25

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Top Plays of the Day, 09/18/2025

AP Recap

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://x.com/WNBA/status/1968854362991521946" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Aliyah Boston made the go-ahead basket</a> with 7.4 seconds left, Lexie Hull <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://x.com/IndianaFever/status/1968856460894351811" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">stole the ensuing inbounds pass</a> and the Indiana Fever beat the No. 3-seeded Atlanta Dream 87-85 on Thursday night to advance to the WNBA semifinals.
Despite missing Caitlin Clark among its injured players, Indiana closed on a 7-0 run to win a playoff series for the first time since 2015. The sixth-seeded Fever will play on Sunday against the winner of Thursday’s other Game 3 between Seattle and Las Vegas.
Boston was left alone under the basket for an easy layup after Brionna Jones went to the ground going for a loose ball. It gave Indiana an 86-85 lead, its first since it was 33-30 in the second quarter.
Rhyne Howard twice had trouble inbounding the ball in the final seconds, with Hull coming from behind to poke it away from Jones. Indiana got it to Odyssey Sims, who went 1 of 2 at the free-throw line to give Atlanta another shot with 1.2 left. Jones’ off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 24 points and Boston had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Sims had 16 points and eight assists, and Natasha Howard added 12 points.
Allisha Gray had 19 points and 12 rebounds for her first playoff double-double to lead Atlanta. Jordin Canada also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Rhyne Howard scored 16 points and Jones had 12.
Atlanta, which was held to 60 points in a 17-point loss in Game 2 on Tuesday, reached 60 points with 6:09 left in the third quarter.
Shey Peddy made a 3-pointer with 6:06 remaining in the fourth to pull Indiana within 80-78. Neither team scored again until the 3:21 mark on Brianna Turner’s putback to tie it at 80-all.
Atlanta has not won a playoff series since 2016.

LatestDream

Atlanta Dream's Dan Padover Wins Record Third WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award

Top 10 Plays of the Week

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

Photo Gallery: 2025 WNBA Playoffs, First Round (9/18/2025)

Top Plays of the Day, 9/18/25

Top Plays of the Day, 09/18/2025

Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream (First Round, Game 3)

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

Rhyne Howard with 16 Points vs. Indiana Fever

Jordin Canada with 18 Points vs. Indiana Fever