ESPN on Thursday released its four-name shortlist for the ESPY for Best WNBA Player at its awards show next month. The Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson completed the nominees. Notably, Caitlin Clark was not included in the shortlist.
Some fans were furious with Clark’s exclusion. However, some pointed out that the nominees are based on last season, when Clark was injured and played only 13 games. Moreover, many stood against Thomas’ inclusion.
The 34th annual ESPY Awards are scheduled to be held on July 15. One of the four players will be honored as the WNBA’s best player in the 2025 season.
Comparison between A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas and Allisha Gray’s performances last season
All four nominees were also the top four in the WNBA MVP race last season.
Here is the final vote tally:
- A’ja Wilson, 657 points and 51 first-place votes
- Napheesa Collier, 534 points and 18 first-place votes
- Alyssa Thomas, 391 points and 3 first-place votes
- Allisha Gray, 180 points
Wilson led the Aces to their third WNBA title in four years. The Aces swept Thomas’ Mercury 4-0 in the finals. She averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season.
The runner-up, Alyssa Thomas, averaged 15.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 9.2 apg. Collier, who is yet to play this season, put up 22.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 3.2 apg. Last but not the least, Allisha Gray averaged 18.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.5 apg in 42 games.
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