"2nd Best Playmaker After Caitlin Clark" - WNBA fans hail Veronica Burton clinching MIP title with Valkyries making playoffs in debut year

WNBA fans reacted to the Golden State Valkyries player, Veronica Burton, winning the Most Improved Player award for the 2025 WNBA season. The Valkyries star emerged as the winner with an overwhelming votes.

Of the 72 votes from the sportswriters and broadcasters, Burton received 68 votes. Azura Stevens, Allisha Gray and Natisha Hiedeman, the next three finalists on the list, received two, one and one votes each.

Burton's win had fans hailing her on social media.

Reacting to the news, a fan made a bold claim about Veronica Burton's place among the top playmakers in the league.

"Well Deserved 👏 Veronica Burton Is The 2nd Best Playmaker After Caitlin Clark Easily One Of My Favorites Now."

A fan hoped for the Indiana Fever star Lexie Hull to win the award, but didn't have a problem with Burton taking home the award.

"I was hoping Lexie Hull hit it but Veronica is just as deserving. Congratulations Veronica."

One of the fans congratulated the Valkyries star with a big message.

"Yeaaaaaaa V!!!! You are exactly who you thought you were! Congrats on an amazing season and 🤞🏽 to many more in the Bay! ⚔️🫶🏽."

A fan, while cheering Burton for a well-deserved award, also hyped up the Valkyries ahead of Game 2 against the Lynx.

"👏👏well deserved!! Let’s get the Lynx tomorrow on our turf!! Ballhalla show up let’s get this win!! We going 3 games!! 💜💜."

One of the fans took a shot at the Dallas Wings for waiving Burton.

"Woooohooo thank u Dallas for this gift."

The Wings waived Burton in May 2024. She was later signed by the Connecticut Sun that year. The Valkyries picked her from the Sun as a part of the expansion team draft.

"EARNED NOT GIVEN 🔥🔥🔥."

A fan claimed that Burton was the most deserving player for the award.

"No one more deserving this year 🙌🏽💜."

Veronica Burton's outstanding season with Valkyries

The 2025 season was by far Veronica Burton's best season. After spending the first three years as a bench player with the Wings and the Sun, Natalie Nakase gave the guard a chance to be a starter. It would be an understatement to say that Burton made the most of it.

Burton exceeded expectations, rising as one of the best playmakers in the league. She played all 44 games with the Valkyries and led the team in multiple categories.

With Kayla Thornton out for the season, Burton led the active Valkyries players in almost all major categories, including points, assists and steals. In her MIP season, Veronica Burton averaged 11.9 points, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

About the author

Nandjee Ranjan is a journalist covering the NBA and WNBA at Sportskeeda whose passion for basketball dates back to his childhood when he enjoyed playing the sport in school.

Nandjee finds his heart divided between two NBA powerhouses: the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. He idolizes LeBron James and his leadership, while he appreciates the Warriors' dynamic and team-oriented style of play.
Basketball, for Nandjee, isn't just a sport but a holistic approach to fitness and well-being. He's been drawn to team sports, finding fulfillment in the physical engagement basketball offers.

With years of following basketball, Nandjee contextualizes historical events and player performances. He believes in conducting thorough research before writing, only taking information from reliable sources. He doesn’t mind taking more time to write an articles, as long as it is 100% accurate for his readers’ benefit.

During his leisure hours, Nandjee finds relaxation by reading books.

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Edited by Nandjee Ranjan