Aces Coach Becky Hammon Blasted Napheesa Collier WNBA Award Win Over A'ja Wilson
Becky Hammon was not happy about Napheesa Collier winning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
The Minnesota Lynx star secured the award receiving 36 votes, while A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces garnered 26. Which was not enough in the mind of coach Hammon.
Hammon reiterated her previous rant in support of the league's MVP and accused voters of diving deep into numbers in order to convince themselves of Collier's case.
The Aces coach had this to say when asked about the results in press conference availability shared by @NoaDalzell on X.
" I told you my thoughts. If you have to go down a rabbit hole of analytics to put somebody in the same conversation, I think you already have the answer to your question."
Becky Hammon was asked about her thoughts on the DPOY results:
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) September 29, 2024
“I told you my thoughts — if you have to go down a rabbit whole of analytics to put somebody in the same conversation, I think you already have the answer to your question.” pic.twitter.com/rUYn4L14Hq
Hammon did give Napheesa credit as a defensive player but emphasized how she believes Wilson is simply the more dominant force in protecting the rim.
That before she singled out other defensive players aside from Collier who she respects. Her list included Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Sykes and Natasha Cloud.
Hammon added that Collier is a great defensive player but Wilson has been dominant protecting the rim. She added that there are certain players that scare her defensively, listing Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Sykes and Natasha Cloud.
— Callie Fin (@CallieJLaw) September 29, 2024
A'ja will have a chance to enhance the support from her coach as the Aces begin a series with the New York Liberty Sunday, a rematch of last year's WNBA Finals.
Meanwhile, Collier will also be in action as the Lynx take on the Connecticut Sun. Napheesa will look to continue her exemplary playoff run thus far.
But before the action tipped off, Hammon made sure to go on the offensive in order to state her position about Wilson not being recognized as the league's best defensive player.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!