Alana Beard Earns Defensive Player of the Year: This strong defensive mind led the WNBA in steals with 2.09 steals per game. Beard’s ability to force turnovers assisted the Sparks to a 26-8 overall record. The Louisiana native also averaged 0.5 blocks and 6.9 points per game. With 653 career steals, Beard is fourth in the WNBA in all-time steals.