{
  "id": 9354292,
  "title": "Who I’m voting for the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award and why",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/who-im-voting-for-the-wnbas-most-improved-player-award-and-why",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T14:42:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SB Nation",
    "slug": "sb-nation",
    "url": "https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/1128760/wnba-most-improved-player-shakira-austin"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The WNBA's Most Improved Player award for 2026 came down to three outstanding players: Shakira Austin of the Washington Mystics, Jessica Shepard of the Dallas Wings, and Carla Leite of the Portland Fire. All three players demonstrated significant improvements in their performance from the previous season. However, after careful consideration, I selected Carla Leite as the winner.\n\nShakira Austin has been a crucial starter for the Mystics in both seasons, increasing her scoring from 12.7 to 17 points per game, rebounds from 6.4 to 9.4 rebounds per game, and assists from 1.8 to 2.6. Her efficiency has also improved, with a field goal percentage rise from 46.5% to 49.1% and a three-point percentage increase from 13.3% to 32.7%. Austin's defensive impact is also notable, anchoring the Mystics' elite defense.\n\nJessica Shepard's statistical improvements are undeniable, with a significant jump in her scoring from 8 points to 14.3 per game, rebounds from 7.3 to 10.9 per game, and assists from 2.6 to 5.1 per game. However, her field goal percentage slightly declined from 63.8% to 57.9%.\n\nCarla Leite, on the other hand, established herself as the franchise player for the Fire this season. Her scoring skyrocketed from 7.2 to 16 points per game, and her assists increased from 2 to 6.3 per game. Most impressively, her efficiency jumped from 38.7% from the field and 17.3% from three last year to 46.3% from the field and 40% from three this year. Leite's clutch performances have been crucial in multiple crunch-time victories for the Fire.\n\nWhile Austin and Shepard both contributed to their teams' playoff successes, the decision to award the Most Improved Player to Leite took into account her overall growth and impact on her team, even though her team was not necessarily winning.",
  "summary": "For me, the WNBA’s Most Improved Player race came down to three players: Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin, Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard, and Portland Fire guard Carla Leite. All players have been crucial to their squads, and all three are far more impactful than they were last year. All three players could easily win […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "The Athletic names WNBA Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/the-athletic-names-wnba-coach-of-the-year-and-most-improved-player-of",
        "published": "2026-09-23T10:46:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}