Image Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton Wins 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player Award

Burton earned 68 of 72 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Image Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Congratulations are in order for the Golden State Valkyries’ guard Veronica Burton who has been named the 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player. Burton won the award after earning 68 of 72 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She became the only player to participate in all 44 games for the expansion team in the regular season.

Azura Stevens of the Los Angeles Sparks finished second with two first place votes, while the Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray as well as Minnesota Lynx’s Natisha Hiedeman each received one vote. Talking about Burton’s campaign, it marked the most successful season in her four-year WNBA career as she averaged 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

From promising talent, to proven force — Veronica Burton is @WNBA's Most Improved Player.

Celebrating Milestones | @JWinery pic.twitter.com/irczcFAeyX
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) September 15, 2025

This is not it as the 25-year-old ranked third in the league with an average of 6.0 assists per game. In her last season, Burton averaged just 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

As she played a crucial role in guiding the Valkyries to the playoffs in their debut season, she became the first player in the league to increase her averages by at least five points, two rebounds, and two assists from one year to the next.

Veronica Burton’s Rise From Being Seventh Overall Pick to Receiving WNBA Most Improved Player Honors

Veronica Burton, who played for Northwestern University in her collegiate career, started her WNBA career as a seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Dallas Wings. In her first two seasons with the team, she appeared in 76 games and averaged 2.5 points, and 2.1 assists per game, with only 19 starts.

Veronica Burton took over in Golden State 😤

Her relentless effort helped the @valkyries become the first expansion team in its inaugural szn to clinch a playoffs berth and it all paid off

The Most Improved Player EARNED IT 😈
#KIAMIP | @KIA pic.twitter.com/PVl9LoiPIq
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 15, 2025

After being waived by them, she moved to the Connecticut Sun early in the 2024 season, where the 2025 WNBL champion established herself as a reliable name off the bench. After the Sun didn’t choose her in Golden State’s expansion draft, Burton joined the Valkyries and decided to come off with a clean slate for a new team on the court.

For the Valkyries, Burton shouldered greater responsibility and earned the starting role in all of their games. She finished her season as the top performer for Golden State as well as led them to their first playoff season.

Not only this, but the Newton-native also had three games this season where she recorded 10 or more assists with zero turnovers, and created a WNBA single-season record. Moreover, she had her first career 30-point game this season, along with six games with 20+ points. Burton also recorded eight games with 10+ assists in her MIP season.

Veronica Burton

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.