The strangest of things happened with the 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year announcement. For the first time in history, two players have won this title simultaneously. A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith were named the co-WNBA DPOY today, sending a shockwave among the fans. Their shock was understandable. It’s a groundbreaking moment; never before have two players shared this honor, one that reflects just how dominant both were on the defensive end in 2025.

Wilson, now a three-time Defensive Player of the Year (2022 and 2023), once again posted eye-popping numbers. She led the league in blocks per game (2.3), totaled 92 blocks, ranked third in steals with 64, and grabbed 10.2 rebounds per game. She also delivered where it mattered; her 156 combined steals and blocks were top in the WNBA. But Smith made an equally strong argument for herself.

Earning her first DPOY, Smith proved she belongs in the elite defensive conversation. She started all 42 games for the Lynx, averaged 1.9 blocks per game (third in the league), and set a franchise record with 80 total blocks. Smith also helped Minnesota lock down the best defense in the league with a 97.5 defensive rating. The race was neck-to-neck, and so was the voting. According to the votes, both A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith secured 29 votes each. Seattle’s Gabby Williams got 9, Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas got 3, and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier got 2.

Still, despite these compelling numbers on both sides, many fans were unhappy, shocked, even. It was the tie for first place that irked the fans. It was the first time in WNBA history that a major individual award ended in a tie. While the 2025 DPOY marked the first tie for a major end-of-season honor, other WNBA honors have also resulted in a tie in the past. Like in 2011, Sue Bird and Ruth Riley shared the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. This award was shared again by Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash in 2013.

Still, despite these compelling numbers on both sides, many fans were unhappy. Shocked, even, that the award was shared. And they voiced strong opinions once the announcement went public.

WNBA fans call out the jury for A’ja Wilson’s bias

Following the announcement, the WNBA is treating it as something to look forward to happening again. The official WNBA comms account called this a milestone. They were sharing how many times this has happened in the past in both the WNBA and the NBA. The passionate fans of these players, however, do not share the same feeling. “They want to justify themselves so fast,” a fan wrote with laughing emojis.

While some fans had some stronger opinions. A fan wrote, “Only split when it’s women. Don’t want to hurt their feelings.” This statement, however, is not true. The splitting of major honors has happened in the NBA, too, more specifically, the Rookie of the Year award. In the NBA, the ROTY had co-winners thrice: Geoff Petrie & Dave Cowens in 1970-71, Jason Kidd & Grant Hill in 1995, and Steve Francis & Elton Brand in 2000.

However, many WNBA fans are unhappy with the split award between A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith. “Wouldn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings,” a fan wrote. Another fan chimed in, stating, “We’re about to get co-MVPs and co-champions, too, huh?“  But co-MVP is so much harder to get because of ranked voting. DPOY doesn’t have ranked voting. In the ranked voting criteria, the finalist with the most first-place votes wins.

If the tie persists, the finalist with the most second-place votes wins. This continues till one player is deemed a winner. And co-champions are one of the rarest occurrences in any sport. But some fans had their creative juices flowing. They had a solution ready to find a clear DPOY winner. “Have them 1v1 for it!“ they wrote. This solution, although it would garner a lot of popularity, isn’t feasible looking given the already tight schedule of the WNBA.

But many fans had a good chuckle over this. And some were there only for laughs, as one fan writes, “A tie for defensive player of the year is crazy. I genuinely don’t know who should have won. I’m fine with watching the Twitter chaos of the Alanna Smith and A’ja Wilson debate.” But with strong remarks earlier, the fans are clearly pointing fingers towards the WNBA and its policy of counting votes.

Whether or not these two players deserved to win this title together is now in the court of public opinion. But officially, A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith are your 2025 co-DPOY.