# WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award

Women's National Basketball Association awards and honors :
Championship :
WNBA Finals :
Commissioner's Cup Champions :
WNBA Commissioner's Cup :
Individual awards :
All-Star Game MVP
Rookie of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Coach of the Year
Finals MVP
Dawn Staley Leadership
Most Valuable Player
Most Improved Player
Peak Performers
Sixth Player of the Year
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship
Basketball Executive of the Year :
Honors :
All-WNBA Team
Top 15 Players
Top 25 Players
All-Rookie Team
WNBA All-Decade Team
Top 20 Players
All-Defensive Team :
vte :
The Women's National Basketball Association's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season -- 1997, to the top defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.
Tamika Catchings has won the defensive player of the year award more times than any other player with the record of 5.

## Winners

| | Denotes player who is still active in the WNBA |
| | Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame |
| | Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| | Denotes player whose team won championship that year |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has won |
| Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
| 1997 | Teresa Weatherspoon | Guard | United States | New York Liberty |
| 1998 | Teresa Weatherspoon (2) | Guard | United States | New York Liberty (2) |
| 1999 | Yolanda Griffith | Center | United States | Sacramento Monarchs |
| 2000 | Sheryl Swoopes | Guard / Forward | United States | Houston Comets |
| 2001 | Debbie Black | Guard | United States | Miami Sol |
| 2002 | Sheryl Swoopes (2) | Guard / Forward | United States | Houston Comets (2) |
| 2003 | Sheryl Swoopes (3) | Guard / Forward | United States | Houston Comets (3) |
| 2004 | Lisa Leslie | Center | United States | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2005 | Tamika Catchings | Forward | United States | Indiana Fever |
| 2006 | Tamika Catchings (2) | Forward | United States | Indiana Fever (2) |
| 2007 | Lauren Jackson | Forward / Center | Australia | Seattle Storm |
| 2008 | Lisa Leslie (2) | Center | United States | Los Angeles Sparks (2) |
| 2009 | Tamika Catchings (3) | Forward | United States | Indiana Fever (3) |
| 2010 | Tamika Catchings (4) | Forward | United States | Indiana Fever (4) |
| 2011 | Sylvia Fowles | Center | United States | Chicago Sky |
| 2012 | Tamika Catchings (5) | Forward | United States | Indiana Fever (5) |
| 2013 | Sylvia Fowles (2) | Center | United States | Chicago Sky (2) |
| 2014 | Brittney Griner | Center | United States | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2015 | Brittney Griner (2) | Center | United States | Phoenix Mercury (2) |
| 2016 | Sylvia Fowles (3) | Center | United States | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2017 | Alana Beard | Guard / Forward | United States | Los Angeles Sparks (3) |
| 2018 | Alana Beard (2) | Guard / Forward | United States | Los Angeles Sparks (4) |
| 2019 | Natasha Howard | Guard / Forward | United States | Seattle Storm (2) |
| 2020 | Candace Parker | Forward / Center | United States | Los Angeles Sparks (5) |
| 2021 | Sylvia Fowles (4) | Center | United States | Minnesota Lynx (2) |
| 2022 | A'ja Wilson | Forward | United States | Las Vegas Aces |
| 2023 | A'ja Wilson (2) | Forward | United States | Las Vegas Aces (2) |
| 2024 | Napheesa Collier | Forward | United States | Minnesota Lynx (3) |

## Multi-time winners

| Awards | Player | Team(s) | Years |
| 5 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever | 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012 |
| 4 | Sylvia Fowles | Chicago Sky / Minnesota Lynx | 2011, 2013, 2016, 2021 |
| 3 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | 2000, 2002, 2003 |
| 2 | Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty | 1997, 1998 |
| 2 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | 2004, 2008 |
| 2 | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 2014, 2015 |
| 2 | Alana Beard | Los Angeles Sparks | 2017, 2018 |
| 2 | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | 2022, 2023 |