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Atlanta Dream's Naz Hillmon wins WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award

Naz Hillmon is the winner of the 2025 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the league announced on Saturday.

The Atlanta Dream forward orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in the WNBA this season and no player better epitomized that than Hillmon. The 25-year-old took her game to another level this season, posting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and three-point shooting.

Hillmon's emergence helped the Dream improve from 15 wins in 2024 to 30 wins this season and make her the first player in franchise history to receive the award.

Hillmon received 44 votes for the honor, beating out Natisha Hiedeman of the Minnesota Lynx by 22 votes. Jessica Shepard (Minnesota, 4 votes), Dominique Malonga (Seattle, 1 vote) and Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix) also received votes.

It was a fantastic season for Hillmon, who showed tremendous growth after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2022. Her performance from beyond the arc, in particular, earned Hillmon more playing time and the ability to post a career-year.

Entering 2025, Hillmon made just one 3-pointer in three seasons in the WNBA. Long-range shooting was clearly a focus for Hillmon in the offseason and it showed once the regular season started. Hillmon drained 53 3-pointers for the Dream in 2025, becoming a key long-range option off the bench. That ability allowed Hillmon to set new career-highs with 25.5 minutes, 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She earned more playing time as the season went on, eventually starting for the team down the stretch.

The WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award is generally a precursor to even more success in the league. Notable players to have taken home the award in recent seasons include DeWanna Bonner, Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby. All three players earned multiple All-Star selections after winning the award.

Hillmon hasn't come close to that honor yet in her career, but may have put herself on the All-Star radar in the future following her 2025 breakout.

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