Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx has been named WNBA Executive of the Year for the third time, CBS Sports reported, completing the slate of major individual awards for 2026. She had already collected Coach of the Year, her fifth, and the pair of honors arrives even though the Lynx were knocked out by the New York Liberty in the first round of the playoffs.
The Lynx finished 33-11 and held the No. 1 seed despite losing six rotation players from a team that went 34-10 a year earlier. Napheesa Collier also missed the first two-plus months of the season while recovering from offseason ankle surgeries.
A narrow win over Dan Padover
Reeve's third Executive of the Year award ties her with Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover for the most in the category. CBS Sports said she edged him out by a small margin.
Her offseason work included drafting Olivia Miles at No. 2 and bringing in forwards Natasha Howard and Nia Coffey. Miles went on to unanimous Rookie of the Year honors.
Reeve has now won both Coach and Executive of the Year in the same season twice, the other time coming in 2024, according to CBS Sports. The executive award is decided by league executives: one from each team ranks three choices, no one can pick themselves, and the person named on the most ballots wins.
Wilson makes MVP history
A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces won her fifth MVP and became the first player to take the award three seasons in a row. She received 65 of 74 first-place votes. Miles collected six, Kelsey Mitchell two and Caitlin Clark one.
Wilson averaged 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, and her scoring mark was a third straight scoring title. CBS Sports noted it was the second-highest single-season scoring average in league history, behind only her own figure from 2024.
The rest of the field
Miles led all rookies with 19.8 points and six assists per game. She became the sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year, joining Aliyah Boston, Wilson, Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles and Candace Parker.
Jessica Shepard of the Dallas Wings won Most Improved Player after moving into a full-time starting role. She averaged 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists, and led the league with six triple-doubles. Angel Reese of the Dream earned her first Defensive Player of the Year award, while Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün was the unanimous Sixth Player of the Year after leading all reserves with 12.7 points per game.
What comes next
Still to be announced are the All-WNBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams, along with the Sportsmanship award.
Reporting sources: CBS Sports Headlines, “2026 WNBA awards winners: Lynx's Cheryl Reeve wins Executive of the Year for third time in career”.