“Can somebody explain Co to me right now..?!?” wrote Bam Adebayo in reaction to both his girlfriend, A’ja Wilson, and Alanna Smith winning the Defensive Player of the Year title. Despite the trolling, this is a major achievement for the Minnesota Lynx star, as she wins her first-ever DPOY title after having been in the WNBA for 6 years. Her role in helping Minnesota achieve a league-best 97.5 defensive rating has finally been recognized, and she eagerly shared her excitement as soon as the announcement went public.

ESPN’s Malika Andrews recently interviewed Alanna Smith on her show. When asked about her reaction to finding out about the Defensive Player of the Year honor, Smith replied, “Um, honestly, I couldn’t believe it. It was kind of surreal. Um, it’s been a really long year and, you know, we’ve had more games than we did last year. So it’s felt like, um, just so long. And then to finally come to this point in the season where awards are given out and to be recognized, I was just in shock”.

Smith didn’t mind sharing the award at all; in fact, she said she was thrilled to have her name alongside A’ja Wilson’s. “It’s an honor, and I think being able to share it with two great defenders, especially with someone like A’ja who has won this award before. I’m just like I’m so proud of myself. I’m proud of A’ja for being able to continue to do what she’s been doing for a long time. And, you know, that we’ve got two great defenders being, um, awarded and I think it’s it’s really cool that we’re recognizing both,” Smith added.

Alanna Smith earned the DPOY award only a year after she was named to her first All-Defensive second-team. After appearing in 42 of the Lynx’s 44 games, she finished 2nd overall in combined steals and blocks (135), and ranked 3rd in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80). Along with that, she also tied for 10th in total steals (55). By receiving this accolade, Smith makes the Lynx the first team to have two different players win the award in consecutive seasons, since Napheesa Collier was voted the league’s top defensive player in 2024.

2025 is certainly proving to be quite eventful for the Lynx power forward. After all, not only did she win one of the top individual accolades in the WNBA, but she has also reached the Semi-Finals with the Lynx for a 2nd year in a row. Despite losing in the Finals last year, the team pushes on, and Smith couldn’t be prouder.

“Yeah, I just think it was a never-ending sense of belief in ourselves and knowing what we can do. I think we have a lot of heart as a team and so we stuck together as a unit, um, never lost that belief in ourselves and chipped away at it in the fourth quarter especially. And we just came out on top,” said Smith when discussing Game 2 of the Minnesota Lynx-Golden State Valkyries series. “So super proud of the girls and what they were able to achieve in that game.”

Though A’ja Wilson has acknowledged her happiness at the DPOY win, she still hasn’t expressed how she feels about the “co”. However, her head coach is a different story.

Becky Hammon Criticizes A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith Sharing DPOY

A few hours ago, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon participated in a presser. During the same time, she was asked about her reaction to A’ja Wilson being named the (Co) Defensive Player of the Year. Hammon openly admitted that “I guess I’m just confused by the ‘co.’ You guys said (Collier) was the best defensive player last year, and then now, she’s not. I mean, I don’t know”. The HC also added that “I’d love to make the voting public. I don’t know how it came to a tie, but apparently it did. To me, there’s no comparison. A white-tailed deer looks really good until an elk walks into the room.”

According to reports, Smith and Wilson received 29 votes each from 72 sportswriters and broadcasters who were part of a specific panel. Gabby Williams, who finished second, got only 9 votes, Alyssa Thomas got 3, and Napheesa Collier got 2.

As Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young highlighted, Becky Hammon tends to give out her criticism “when it pertains to her players”, since she has the back of her Aces roster. When it comes to A’ja Wilson, the team’s star player, the same is “especially apparent” in all regards.

What are your thoughts on Alanna Smith and A’ja Wilson walking off as co-DPOY winners?