No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show

Episode: WNBA Award Predictions: Who Will Take Home the Honors? + Valkyries star Veronica Burton joins the pod!

Date: September 9, 2025
Hosts: Zena Keita, Sabrina Merchant, Ben Pickman
Special Guest: Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the drama and anticipation swirling around WNBA end-of-season awards as the 2025 regular season concludes. The team debates tight MVP and DPOY races, Coach of the Year standouts (with special attention to expansion teams), plus Most Improved and Sixth Player awards. Later, Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton joins for an inspiring interview on her breakout campaign and the Valkyries’ historic playoff berth—making them the first WNBA expansion team to clinch a postseason spot in Year 1.

Key Topics & Discussions

1. Regular Season Wrap-up and Playoff Picture

Timestamps: 01:35–12:40

• Playoff Standings Tighten: The last week of the regular season brings tense final games, jostling for homecourt, and a crowded playoff field.
• Notable Team Storylines:
  • Las Vegas Aces: Riding a 14-game win streak after a midseason slump sparked by a 50-point blowout. Aces' late peaking seen as "historically impressive."

    "How do you not start with A’ja Wilson here? ... She's putting up these 30 and 10 games and making them seem kind of normal at this point." —Ben Pickman (05:46)

  • New York Liberty: Inconsistent but showing flashes of playoff form. Players like Jackie Young have evolved vital roles.
  • Golden State Valkyries: First WNBA expansion team to clinch a playoff spot in their inaugural season.

    "They went out and got this playoff spot. They earned it." —Ben Pickman (30:08)

• Bottom of Standings: LA Sparks battling for the final spot, but Seattle is the odds-on favorite.

2. The Sabrina Scale & Team Heat Checks

Timestamps: 02:28–12:40

• Liberty's Spark: The pod weighs the Liberty’s ability to “flip the switch” for the postseason, noting late rallies ("Closed mouths don’t get fed. Shout out Sandy Brondello...").
• Aces’ Historic Turnaround: Praise for Becky Hammon’s coaching vision and the team’s resurgent chemistry—especially in the absence of Kelsey Plum.
• Jackie Young’s Growth:

  "You're just seeing a more emboldened Jackie Young where she's trying everything ... she's a little bit freer, she's not as afraid of making mistakes." —Sabrina Merchant (07:41)

WNBA Award Predictions & Debates

3. Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Timestamps: 15:16–25:38

• Top Contenders:

  • Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx)
  • A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)

• Sabrina’s Pick:

  "My baseline is usually best player on best team ... as of today ... I'm going to be voting for Napheesa Collier for MVP for 2025." —Sabrina Merchant (15:36)

• Ben’s Pick:

  "I currently am leaning A’ja Wilson, who would be the first ever four-time WNBA MVP..." —Ben Pickman (18:05)

• Zena’s Pick:

  "...going to be Asia Wilson, and it's going to be based on what Ben mentioned in terms of the domina[nce] that the Las Vegas Aces achieve, mainly because Asia Wilson is available to me." —Zena Keita (20:55)

• Key Debate Points:

  • Collier: Historic season, usage and efficiency, best player on best team.
  • Wilson: League leader in points, blocks, double-doubles, and plus/minus; “impossible to overlook” dominance.
  • Alyssa Thomas and Alicia Gray named as top five ballot contenders.

• Voters acknowledge “fatigue” with repeat MVPs, and the tension between “best player on best team” vs. “undeniable dominance.”

4. Coach of the Year

Timestamps: 26:53–31:05

• Unanimous Selection: Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries) for leading the expansion team to the playoffs.

  "The level of difficulty for taking an expansion team to be good, let alone making the playoffs... an incredible job she's done with the Valkyries." —Sabrina Merchant (26:53)

• Runner-up: Carlos Smesko (Atlanta Dream), praised for unlocking Alicia Gray.
• Broader context: Pod discusses whether playoff success for future expansion teams sets a new bar for Coach of the Year.

5. Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)

Timestamps: 31:09–35:56

• Front-Runners:

  • Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx): “Most consistent, best defensive player in the league this year.” (Ben, 31:15)
  • A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces): Rim protection, defensive stats, carries team defense without much support.
  • Napheesa Collier: High rebounding and impact.

• Memorable Quote:

  "It's the weirdest thing with Alanna Smith. Like, the Minnesota defense actually gets better when she's off the court, which I don't really understand. But... she's clearly such an important part of what they are doing." —Sabrina Merchant (32:59)

6. Most Improved Player

Timestamps: 35:56–39:55

• Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries): Consensus favorite for her leap from role player to potential All-WNBA selection.

  "I'm not one of these voters who just looks at a player who suddenly has more opportunity and then as a result their numbers go up as most improved ... it's about how her game has developed." —Ben Pickman (38:24)

• Alicia Gray also highlighted for All-Star-to-Superstar leap.

• Other Names Mentioned: Azura Stevens (LA Sparks).

7. Sixth Player of the Year

Timestamps: 39:55–41:27

• Nas Hillmon (Atlanta): Unanimous pick.

  “So good at being a six player that she graduated to a starter.” —Sabrina Merchant (40:57)

• Natisha Heideman (Connecticut) mentioned as a runner-up.

Exclusive Interview: Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries)

Timestamps: 42:52–62:28

Historic Playoff Berth

• Burton describes the emotion and mental preparation behind the playoff-clinching win—despite a rough start and a heavily motivated Dallas opponent.

  “We got laid into at halftime, watched some film, got called out a little bit ... that second unit really is the unit that propelled us, really got us back into that game.” (44:21)

• On Coach Natalie Nakase's tough love:

  “If you guys don’t know Natalie Nikase likes to say that she MF’s people. You can, you can guess what MF means. ... But what’s impressive is that you responded. You responded every time.” —Zena Keita (45:29)

Personal Journey & Growth

• From being cut by Dallas/Connecticut and feeling “imposter syndrome,” to being hand-picked for an expansion team—Burton credits her faith and hard work.

  “I'm not someone that's super good with change ... that's where I just trusted in God, trusted in his plan for me and it was bigger than me.” —Veronica Burton (47:47)

• Discusses her off-season in Australia, developing scoring, and trusting herself:

  “If the opportunity came, like, I wasn't going to miss it and I wasn't going to let a lack of preparation be the factor that, that made me miss it.” (55:03) “If you ask me, no rookie year ... I was looking up imposter syndrome. I didn't think I belonged in the league ... I think if I said it out loud, it sounded almost foolish the way I was playing at the time. So a little bit of both. Like I knew what I was capable of, but I wasn't showing it.” (57:04)

Valkyries’ Culture

• Emphasizes Valkyries' “no ego, all chemistry, all buy-in” ethos and a positive, invested organization structure.
• Notes the tangible difference being “hand-selected,” plus importance of culture for expansion team blueprints.

Lightning Round (Starts 59:45)

• Most Improved Valkyrie: “Jeanette, our rookie ... her growth as a teammate, her growth as a listener.”
• “Little sisters” of the team: “Caitlin Chen and Karla Liet, like, easily.”
• Team MVP: “All of us ... Coach Nat.”
• On being the most accomplished Burton if Valkyries win the championship: “It would put me, like, on [my grandfather's] tier... the rest of ’em, I’m not too worried about…”

W Awards Season: Team PR Campaign Highlights

Timestamps: 62:31–64:29

• Teams send creative swag and gimmicks to media to lobby for their players:
  • Atlanta Dream: Goggles for Alicia Gray, bedazzled basketball
  • Phoenix Mercury: 3D image viewer with stats
  • Seattle Storm: Plastic crowns
  • Washington Mystics: “Mystics in Bloom” flower seeds, gloves
  • Minnesota Lynx: “Queen Fee” glass basketball paperweight
  • Connecticut Sun: Dog bone cookie for Sika Kone
  • Dallas Wings: Hot Wheels cars

Notable Quotes

• On MVP Race:

  “This award was locked up at the start of August ... But it is hard to overlook the last, you know, 15 or so games and just how great Asia has been.” —Ben Pickman (19:07)

• On Expansion Team Success:

  “Natalie did something that an expansion team has literally never done ... If Portland or Toronto does it, it will not have been the first time because Golden State already did it.” —Sabrina Merchant (29:46)

• On Defensive Impact:

  “Minnesota has the league’s best defense ... and even with Nafisa Collier missing almost a quarter of the season during that stretch, even more was put on Alanna Smith.” —Ben Pickman (31:15)

• On Self-Belief:

  "I was looking up imposter syndrome. I didn’t think I belonged in the league ... So I don’t know. It’s just, it’s real. It’s definitely—yeah. Godly, godly work, godly opportunity." —Veronica Burton (57:04)

Episode Flow (with Key Timestamps)

• Playoff Standings / Sabrina Scale & Team Check-ins: 01:35–12:40
• Award Predictions (MVP, COTY, DPOY, MIP, 6th Player): 15:16–41:27
• Interview with Veronica Burton: 42:52–62:28
• Awards Campaign Swag Segment: 62:31–64:29

Takeaways & Recommended Listening

This episode is essential for anyone eager to understand the pulse of the WNBA as the postseason begins—expect sharp debates, in-depth stat breakdowns, and a rare glimpse into what it’s like to break out as a star on a first-year expansion team. Veronica Burton’s candid interview is both a masterclass in resilience and a testament to the league’s increasing depth of opportunity. The analysis remains lively, thoughtful, and refreshingly honest—true to the “No Offseason” title.

Next Up:
Stay tuned for the Playoff Preview episode dropping Friday! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share “No Offseason.”