DiJonai Carrington of the Suns was named the WNBA player with the most progress in 2024

The WNBA announced Wednesday that DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun won the Most Improved Player award for the 2024 season.

Carrington received 28 of 67 votes. Behind her came Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks with 18 votes. Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx came in third.

Carrington, 26, was drafted by the Sun in 2021. She averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.56 steals per game in 2024, all career highs and huge improvements over her 2023 stats (8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals). She also became a starter for the first time this season, starting every game she played (39).

Carrington receives the award just hours before she and the Sun face the Indiana Fever in Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs (Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). If the Sun win, they will advance to the semifinals.

Carrington's name was in the news even before her award, after Sunday's first game against the Fever. She poked Fever star Caitlin Clark in the eye while playing defense at the end of the first quarter of the Sun's win. Carrington said she didn't do it intentionally, and Clark (whose eye is fine) said she doesn't think the poke was intentional.