Early favorites + dark horses for 2026 WNBA awards

We have a special bonus episode of The Dunker Spot! In honor of the WNBA season kicking off, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones give their early WNBA award candidates. The duo breaks down who their undisputed number one MVP candidates are. Will Aja Wilson continue her MVP run? They give their insight. Next, they give their early favorites for Defensive Player of the Year, and Nekias explains why guards and wings matter. Who are their dark horse selections? The answers may surprise you. Later, they share why Olivia Miles and Flau’jae Johnson have stepped up as their favorites for Rookie of the Year candidates, share their dark horse candidates for Sixth Player of the Year, and which players are taking All-Star leaps for their Most Improved Player candidates. Plus, will Becky Hammon be named Coach of the Year?  All that and more!  1:55 MVP candidates 19:03 Defensive Player of the Year candidates 25:25 Rookie of the Year candidates 35:20 Sixth Player of the Year candidates 41:20 Most Improved Player candidates 46:46 Coach of the Year candidates  Subscribe to the The Dunker Spot on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network, yahoosports.tv and Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube