With ten seconds left on the clock, it was anyone’s game in the deciding Fever-Dream matchup. Then, with 7.4 seconds left, the moment arrived. After a loose-ball scramble, everything slowed in slow motion: Odyssey Sims kicked out to Aliyah Boston, who had slipped under the rim unguarded. She rose, laid it in clean, the Fever snatched the lead, the game, and the first round series. But with an early postseason exit at the hands of the Indiana Fever, maybe there is a silver lining for the Atlanta Dream after all.

Forward Naz Hillmon was selected as the 2025 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year by a panel of 72 jurors. To give her credit, the 2025 sixth player debate wouldn’t be complete without her. Coming off the bench, Hillmon provided the kind of consistency every contender craves. In her 44 games this season, she was averaging 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. For comparison, she was averaging 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 2024.

But the deadliest addition to her game was her accuracy beyond the arc. Before this season, Hillmon had scored just one three-pointer in her first three WNBA seasons. Now, in 2025 alone, she had drained 53 from beyond the arc. Furthermore, she has become the most consistent player for the Atlanta Dream, making a franchise record of 150 consecutive appearances. Recognizing her importance, 44 jurors selected her as their top pick for the 2025 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year.

Naz Hillmon thrived in her reserve role, coming off the bench in 27 games and proving to be the WNBA’s most impactful spark plug. Among players with at least 20 appearances as a substitute, she stood out across the board. Leading the group in plus-minus at +5.7, placing second in rebounds with 4.9 per game, and ranking fifth in scoring at 8.0 points per contest. She paired that production with efficiency, knocking down 49.4 percent of her shots from the field and a strong 35.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Hillmon kept getting better as the season continued. Over her last ten outings, Hillmon lifted her numbers to 10.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Furthermore, in the final five games, she took it up another notch with 10.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per night.

As for the other players in contention, the Minnesota Lynx’s Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard, along with Seattle Storm’s rookie Dominique Malonga and Phoenix Mercury’s veteran Sami Whitcomb, were in the running. But it was a landslide win for Atlanta Dream’s Naz Hillmon. Here’s how all the 72 votes were cast:

• Naz Hillmon (Atlanta Dream): 44 votes
• Natisha Hiedeman (Minnesota Lynx): 22 votes
• Jessica Shepard (Minnesota Lynx): 4 votes
• Dominique Malonga (Seattle Storm): 1 vote
• Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix Mercury): 1 vote

This season was a turning point for Hillmon. After struggling around the 5-point mark in her earlier seasons, it was in 2025 that she found her groove. Hillmon put together some of the biggest moments of her young career this season. Highlighted by a career-best 21-point explosion against Dallas on July 30, where she drilled five threes and buried the game-winner. She also hauled in a personal-best 15 rebounds versus Las Vegas on August 27.

Her WNBA Sixth Player recognition came just a week after she earned the Associated Press’ version of the award. Furthermore, she is the first Dream player to claim either honor, cementing her reputation as one of the league’s most reliable and versatile difference-makers. However, her outstanding performances also couldn’t save the Atlanta Dream’s postseason from advancing further than the first round.

Even Naz Hillmon could not save the Atlanta Dream from the Fever loss

A game three win in favor of Indiana was not the outcome many WNBA pundits would have charted. Even Hillmon felt her team was walking away with a win after they went 1-0 up. Talking after the Game 1 win, she said, “I think the biggest thing is our defense. Our defense is what I really feel fuels our offense.” But that boastful Atlanta defense was gone the moment they set foot in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Indiana side smothered them with relentless offense, tying the series 1-1.

However, in a true team player fashion, Hillmon kept her hopes up and felt confident her team would pull it back in the deciding game. “I think it is a confidence boost to have your home fans backing you,” she said after Game 2. “But I just think there’s an excitement about going into an elimination game, knowing how poorly we played [in Game 2]. I’m not just gonna say that Indiana didn’t do anything to make us play poorly, but I do think we’ll be able to make some adjustments, and it’s nice when those threes finally do fall and we’re getting cheers from our home crowd.”

And it did go like what Hillmon predicted for Game 3, for most parts. Because by the end of the game, it was the Fever locker room filled with joy. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Dream are out of the running for the title, but Naz Hillmon, along with coach Karl Smesko, has been their major discovery this season.