NEW YORK – Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün has been unanimously selected as the 2026 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the WNBA announced today. She has earned the honor as the league’s top reserve for the first time, becoming the first Valkyries player to win the award.

Salaün received all 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. To be eligible for the award, a player had to play more games as a reserve than as a starter.

In her second WNBA season, Salaün led all WNBA reserves in scoring with a career-high 12.7 points per game (minimum 20 games played) and in cumulative plus-minus (+160). She came off the bench in all 40 of her appearances, setting WNBA single-season records for points (509), three-pointers made (93) and games with at least 10 points (27) by a reserve.

The 6-2 forward from France finished eighth in the league in three-pointers made, shooting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc. She helped lead Golden State to a 32-12 regular season record and the No. 2 seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel.   The Valkyries will host the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Semifinals today at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.

A WNBA All-Rookie Team selection in 2025, Salaün scored at least 20 points six times this season, tied for the fourth-most such games by a reserve in a single WNBA season. The Valkyries went 6-0 in those games.

In honor of being named the Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, Salaün will receive $15,000 and a trophy designed to commemorate her achievement.

Below is the list of recipients of the Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award since its inception in 2007.

About Kia America

Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia America continues to top automotive quality surveys. Kia is recognized as one of the TIME World’s Most Sustainable Companies of 2026. Kia serves as the “Official Automotive Partner” of the NBA and WNBA and offers a range of gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles sold through a network of nearly 800 dealers in the U.S., including several SUVs proudly assembled in America*.   

For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert

* The 2026 and 2027 all-electric EV6 and EV9 all-electric three-row SUV, Sportage (excluding PHEV model), Sorento (excludes HEV and PHEV models), and Telluride are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.