MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier was voted the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and Cheryl Reeve earned the Coach of the Year award on Sunday.
Collier won the defensive award for the first time, receiving 36 votes from a 67-person national media panel. A'ja Wilson finished second with 26 votes.
The Lynx star ranked second in the league in steals per game (1.91), She was fourth in defensive rebounds per game (7.5) and seventh in blocks per game (1.41), finishing with career highs in both categories.
She helped Minnesota finish second in the league in defensive rating (94.8) and fewest points allowed (75.6).
Collier led the Lynx to the second-best record in the league (30-10) under the guidance of Reeve, who won the coaching award for a record fourth time. Reeve received 62 of the 67 votes for Coach of the Year. New York’s Sandy Brondello had four votes and Indiana’s Christie Sides got the one.
Reeve also earned WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year for the second time. Talisa Rhea of the Seattle Storm finished second.
Reeve broke a tie with Van Chancellor of the Houston Comets (1997-99) and Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics (2006, 2008 and 2013), who each won coach of the year three times. Reeve was previously honored in 2011, 2016 and 2020.
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Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) works around Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud in the third quarter of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Minnesota Lynx head coach Coach Cheryl Reeve directs her team as they play the Phoenix Mercury in the first quarter of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady has no regrets about pushing his teammates to be their best.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t hold back in responding to Baker Mayfield’s recent comments that Brady created a “stressful environment” during the 2022 season, his last with the Buccaneers.
After Mayfield threw his second touchdown pass to give Tampa Bay a 14-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Brady shared his thoughts from the booth about his replacement’s criticism.
“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings so there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work every day,” Brady said when Fox posted Mayfield’s comments on screen. “This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I would’ve went to Disneyland with my kids.”
Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay last season, led the Buccaneers to their third straight NFC South title and a playoff win. He got a $100 million, three-year contract to stay in Tampa Bay and has become a fan favorite.
Brady, who arrived in 2020, led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title that season — his seventh ring — and two division titles in 2021 and 2022 before he retired.
During an appearance on a Casa de Klub podcast, Mayfield said Brady’s intensity created a stress-filled environment in the locker room.
“The building was a little bit different with Tom in there. Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out,” Mayfield said on the podcast. “They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football for guys who weren’t having as much fun.”
Mayfield also took a shot at the way Brady handled disputes with former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich over play calls.
“You hear some of the stories about if he didn’t like a certain play call and he didn’t like it throughout the week and they still call it in the game, there might have been a throwaway on purpose or throwing it at the running back or receiver’s feet,” Mayfield said. “There were a lot of mind games going on.”
Brady was back in Tampa Bay for the first time as an analyst. He greeted Mayfield and many former teammates, coaches and team staff before the game.
“There’s a way to approach this game and that’s with the right mindset and try to push each other outside of our comfort zone,” Brady said. “Great teammates do that.”
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Former quarterback Tom Brady, left, talks to Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen before an NFL football game between the Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
