Jessica Shepard Takes 29 of 74 Votes for Kia Most Improved
Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard wins the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player award with 29 of 74 media votes after a 14.5-point, 11.1-rebound, 5.3-assist season.
Photo: WNBA.com. Official Jessica Shepard headshot, Dallas Wings.
Jessica Shepard won the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player award on Wednesday with 29 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, the league announced.
Those 29 votes put her ahead of Shakira Austin of Washington (25), Carla Leite of Portland (11), Marina Mabrey of Toronto (4), Dominique Malonga of Seattle (3), and Rae Burrell of Los Angeles (2). Shepard also receives $15,000 and a commemorative trophy. The Associated Press already named her Most Improved on Sunday as part of its year-end slate. Wednesday's result is the league's own Kia award, and the ballot was tight enough that four votes separated first from second.
Shepard averaged 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 31.7 minutes for Dallas after posting 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 20.9 minutes for Minnesota a year ago. Points rose 81.3 percent. Assists more than doubled. She started all 42 games she played, helped the Wings take the No. 7 seed, and finished the year as one of only two players (with Angel Reese) to average a double-double.
The role change explains a lot of it. 2026 was her first season as a full-time starter, per WNBA.com's awards lookahead, after 20.9 minutes a game in Minnesota. More minutes alone do not produce a line like this one, though. Candace Parker in 2015 is the only other WNBA player to average at least 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a season. Shepard joined that list in her first year with a starting job.
The volume on the glass and the ballhandling load piled on top of each other. Shepard grabbed 467 rebounds, the second-highest single-season total in league history behind Reese's 521 this year, and she ranked fifth in field-goal percentage at 57.5 percent while ranking 11th in assists. She posted a league-leading six triple-doubles after entering 2026 with one career triple-double, tying for the second most in any WNBA season. Her 25 double-doubles were the fourth most in a single season. On May 28 she put up 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists against Las Vegas, becoming the second player in league history with a 20-20-10 game.
That passing showed up in the team numbers. Dallas led the league at 22.3 assists per game, and Shepard's 5.3 a night came from a forward who averaged 2.6 the year before. The voting gap over Austin was only four ballots, and the runner-up had a strong case. Through Sept. 21, per WNBA.com, Austin was averaging 17.0 points and 9.4 rebounds for Washington, and Leite was at 16 points and 6.3 assists for expansion Portland. The panel still picked the Wings forward whose season matched a Parker line.
Shepard was the 16th pick in 2019 and spent five seasons in Minnesota before signing with Dallas. She made her first All-Star team this year and started the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game. She is the second Dallas player to win Most Improved, after Satou Sabally in 2023, according to the league's list of past winners.
Sources
- WNBA official release: Dallas Wings' Jessica Shepard Wins 2026 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player Award. Sep 30, 2026. 29 of 74 votes; Austin 25, Leite 11, Mabrey 4, Malonga 3, Burrell 2; season line 14.5/11.1/5.3 in 31.7 minutes vs 8.0/7.3/2.6 in 20.9 with Minnesota in 2025; starter in all 42 appearances; No. 7 seed; second in RPG, fifth in FG% (57.5), 11th in APG; 467 rebounds (second-highest single-season total behind Reese's 521); Wings led league at 22.3 APG; six triple-doubles (league-leading, tied second most in a season); 25 double-doubles (fourth most in a season); May 28 vs Aces 22/20/10 (second 20-20-10 in WNBA history); 16th pick 2019; first All-Star / All-Star starter; $15,000 prize; past winners list (Satou Sabally, Dallas, 2023).
- WNBA on X. Sep 30, 2026. Official MIP announcement with year-over-year jumps (+81.3% PPG, +52.1% RPG, +103.8% APG).
- WNBA Communications on X. Sep 30, 2026. "Dallas Wings' Jessica Shepard Wins 2026 Kia WNBA Most Improved Award."
- Kareem Copeland on X. Sep 30, 2026. Full voting table matching the league release.
- Dallas Wings on X. Sep 30, 2026. Team confirmation of Kia MIP.
- WNBA.com Jessica Shepard player page. Season averages 14.5 PPG / 11.1 RPG / 5.3 APG.
- WNBA Awards Lookahead: Most Improved. Stats through games on Sept. 21. Parker 2015 and Shepard 2026 as the only 14/10/5 seasons; Shepard's first season as a full-time starter; Austin 17.0 PPG and 9.4 RPG; Leite 16 PPG and 6.3 APG.
- Sporting News: Shepard MIP closing argument. Sixth triple-double (20/12/11) vs Seattle to clinch No. 7 seed; franchise rebounding record context; Bueckers partnership.
- Associated Press via NBC Sports. Sep 27, 2026. AP Most Improved already to Shepard (14.5/11.1/5.3, six triple-doubles) as part of the AP year-end awards.
- Photo: WNBA.com. Official Jessica Shepard headshot, Dallas Wings.
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