NEW YORK — Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard was named the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player on September 30 after producing career highs across the board in her first season with Dallas.
Shepard received 29 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin finished second with 25 votes, and Portland Fire guard Carla Leite was third with 11, according to the WNBA’s official results.
The four-vote margin made the race close, but Shepard’s season combined scoring growth, elite rebounding and unusual playmaking for a frontcourt player.
A major statistical jump in Dallas
Shepard averaged 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 31.7 minutes over 42 starts. All four were career highs. In 2025 with the Minnesota Lynx, she averaged 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 20.9 minutes.
Her 467 rebounds were the second-highest single-season total in league history, behind Atlanta’s Angel Reese, who collected 521 in 2026. Shepard ranked second in the league in rebounds per game, fifth in field-goal percentage at 57.5% and 11th in assists per game.
Shepard and Reese were the only WNBA players to average a double-double during the regular season. Shepard also helped Dallas lead the league with 22.3 assists per game and secure the No. 7 playoff seed.
Triple-doubles defined the season
Shepard led the WNBA with six triple-doubles, tied for the second-most in a season in league history. She had entered 2026 with one career triple-double.
Her most striking performance came May 28 against the Las Vegas Aces, when she recorded 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists. The WNBA said she became only the second player in league history to reach 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in the same game.
Shepard finished the season with 25 double-doubles, up from 10 in 2025 and the fourth-highest single-season total in WNBA history.
A change of team opened a larger role
The Minnesota Lynx selected Shepard with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft. After five seasons with Minnesota, she signed with Dallas before the 2026 season and moved into a larger offensive and playmaking role.
She also earned her first WNBA All-Star selection and was voted a starter. The award carries a $15,000 prize and a commemorative trophy, the league said.
Austin’s second-place finish followed a career season of her own in Washington. She averaged 17.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 blocks while helping the Mystics return to the playoffs. The close vote reflected two strong improvement cases rather than a lack of statistical support for Shepard.
Where the award fits in the postseason
Most Improved Player recognizes regular-season development and is separate from postseason results. The award was announced as the WNBA playoffs continued, one day after the Atlanta Dream completed a first-round sweep of Washington.
Shepard becomes the second Dallas player in four seasons to win the award, following Satou Sabally in 2023. Veronica Burton of Golden State won in 2025.
The final ballot also included Toronto’s Marina Mabrey with four votes, Seattle’s Dominique Malonga with three and Los Angeles’ Rae Burrell with two. Shepard’s 29 votes were enough for the award, but not a majority of the 74 ballots — another sign of how competitive the field was.
Sources
Featured image: basketball on a court, used illustratively. Photo by Gene Gallin via Unsplash.
[…] The result comes during a first round that has already produced a major individual award: Minnesota forward Jessica Shepard was named the 2026 WNBA Most Improved Player. […]