Becky Hammon Bewildered by A'ja Wilson WNBA Award Share
On top of being a two-time WNBA champion and one of the greatest coaches in all of women's basketball, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is beloved by WNBA fans because of how frank and outspoken she is when addressing the media.
Hammon is especially this way when it pertains to her players. As all coaches should be, Hammon always has the backs of her Aces roster. This is especially apparent when she's coming to bat for superstar forward A'ja Wilson in all regards. Look no further than the several clear comments Hammon has made about why Wilson deserves to win the 2025 WNBA MVP award this season.
While that WNBA MVP award winner hasn't been announced yet, news broke on September 18 that Wilson was named WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, along with Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith.
The reason for this is that both Wilson and Smith received 29 votes for the award, which was done by a panel of 72 national sportswriters and journalists. While both players were more than deserving of this honor (it's the third time Wilson has won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award and the first time Smith has), many are confused about these two sharing the award.
Becky Hammon Is Befuddled by WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Award
One of those who is confused is Becky Hammon, who made that extremely clear when speaking with the media before her team's playoff game on September 18.
"I'm a little confused by the 'Co.' Because Napheesa [Collier], you guys said, was the best defensive player last year, and now she's not? I don't know," Hammon said when asked her thoughts about the co-award, per an X post from Nekias Duncan.
"I don't know how [the voting] 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 in the room," she added.
Pregame goods!
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) September 19, 2025
1) Becky Hammon on the co-DPOY decision
2) Noelle Quinn on SEA's Game 2 defense (0:37) pic.twitter.com/si4gNVtdVH
Hammon always seems to have a great line stored up to use in the perfect moments, and the one she dropped about an elk and a white-tailed deer speaks volumes about how she feels regarding Wilson.
Ultimately, it's cool to see both Wilson and Smith get recognized for being two of the best defensive players in the game. Perhaps they'll match up in the playoffs to see which one most deserved to win the award.
Recommended Reading:
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
Follow GrvntYoung