By Tiffany Williams –
Naz Hillmon just put the Atlanta Dream in the history books.
The 24-year-old forward was named the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, becoming the first Dream player ever to claim the league’s top reserve honor. Hillmon ran away with it, pulling in 44 of 72 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota’s Natisha Hiedeman (22) and Jessica Shepard (4) finished a distant second and third, while Seattle’s Dominique Malonga and Phoenix’s Sami Whitcomb grabbed one vote apiece.
Hillmon’s fourth season was her breakout moment. She averaged career highs of 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 25.5 minutes in 44 games, helping Atlanta double last year’s win total and clinch the No. 3 playoff seed with a franchise-record 30 victories.
She thrived in her role as a sparkplug, posting eight games of at least 10 points and five boards off the bench — second only to Malonga in the league. When Hillmon hit 15 or more, the Dream went a perfect 5-0.
Her biggest leap came from deep: after hitting just one three in her first three seasons, she drained 53 triples in 2025. The signature moment came July 30, when she torched Dallas for a career-high 21 points, drilling five threes — including the game-winner with 2.6 seconds left.
Hillmon also brings unmatched durability. Since being drafted 15th overall in 2022 out of Michigan, she’s played in a franchise-record 151 consecutive regular-season games, including every contest the last three years.
For the award, she’ll take home $5,150 and a Tiffany-designed trophy — but the real prize is powering Atlanta into its best postseason position in team history.