A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark had record breaking seasonsand produced statistics the WNBA had never seen before.

Wilson became the first player in league history to score more than 1,000 points in a season, and she had a career-high 26.9 points. Clark broke the league’s single-season assist record and scored the most points ever for a rookie.

It comes as no surprise then that the two were unanimously chosen for the AP Player and Rookie of the Year awards respectively on Sunday by a 15-member media panel.

“It means a lot,” Wilson said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “The preparation that you do, the approach that I’ve given myself for this season.”

The Las Vegas Aces star was named MVP of the competition earlier on Sunday, also unanimously. The WNBA will announce the rest of its awards during the postseason, which begins Sunday.

Wilson finished the regular season with 1,021 points and 451 rebounds and led the league with 98 blocks. She finished third in last season’s WNBA MVP voting, and received one fourth-place vote that encouraged her to improve in the off-season.

“It helped me a little bit when I started my offseason workouts, but by February I was done with it,” Wilson said. “I didn’t want to give that person that energy, that’s when I started to commit.”

Clark entered the league with perhaps more hype than any rookie and she delivered, leading the Indiana Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. She broke the WNBA single-season record with 337 assists, including a league record of 19 in a single game. She also broke the single-season rookie scoring record with an average of 19.2 points.

“It is a tremendous honor to be named The Associated Press Rookie of the Year,” she said. “This recognition would not be possible without an incredible group of teammates and coaches, and we look forward to continuing an exciting regular season into the postseason.”

Off the court, she helped the WNBA achieve record television ratings and attendance.

Clark was the featured player on the all-rookie team, along with Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, who broke the rebounds-per-game record by averaging 13.1. She would also have held the overall rebounding record had she not been injured late in the season. Other rookies on the team were Leonie Fiebich of New York, Rickea Jackson of Los Angeles and Kamilla Cardoso of Chicago.

Wilson’s teammate Tiffany Hayes was named AP’s Sixth Woman of the Year.

“She’s our difference maker in a lot of ways, what she brings to the court and to the locker room,” Wilson said. “Tiff doesn’t have to be the vocal leader, but when she speaks, everyone listens — she shows what a great player she is.”

Wilson and Clark were the AP All-WNBA first team stars. They were joined by Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas. Sabrina Ionescu, Kahleah Copper, Nneka Ogwumike, Kayla McBride and Arike Ogunbowale were on the second team.

Other AP winners included:

—Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve. She helped Minnesota finish second in the regular season with a team that was drafted ninth in the preseason. The Lynx won the Commissioner’s Cup and finished the regular season with 13 wins in their last 15 games.

—Comeback Player of the Year: Skylar Diggins-Smith. The Seattle Storm guard missed last season after the birth of her second child. Diggins-Smith averaged 15.1 points and 6.4 assists this season.

—Most Improved Player: Dearica Hamby. The Los Angeles Sparks forward made a huge leap this season, averaging 17.3 points — up 8.4 from last season. She also improved her rebounding by more than three per game. Hamby edged out Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington by one vote.

—Defensive Player: Collier. The Lynx star had an incredible season on both ends of the court, but she was especially an anchor for Minnesota’s formidable defense. The team had the best defense in the WNBA this season and Collier’s play was a big reason why. Wilson finished second, three votes behind Collier.

“I am so proud of Phee’s defensive work in 2024. Her dedication to all aspects of our defense – deflections, denials, steals, blocks, rebounds – was the anchor of one of the best defensive teams in the league and led to her best season yet as a pro,” Reeve said.

AP WNBA Power Poll

Minnesota finished at the top of the power poll, with New York in second place. Las Vegas and Connecticut were the next two teams. They were followed by Seattle, Indiana, Atlanta and Phoenix. Washington, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles rounded out the poll.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball