A'ja Wilson wins third straight WNBA MVP award, a record fifth overall

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson has been named WNBA Most Valuable Player for the third consecutive season. It is her fifth MVP award, a league record. The Guardian, ESPN and the Associated Press each reported the result.

Wilson is the first player in WNBA history to win the award three years in a row. Her earlier awards came in 2020 and 2022. No other player has won it more than three times. Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson have each won it three times. According to The Guardian, Cynthia Cooper, who won in 1997 and 1998, is the only other player to win consecutive MVP awards.

The vote

Wilson received 65 of 74 first-place votes and nine second-place votes. According to The Guardian, she received 713 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Olivia Miles finished second with 442 points and six first-place votes. Kelsey Mitchell was third (287 points), Caitlin Clark fourth (212) and Breanna Stewart fifth (171). ESPN reported that Mitchell received two first-place votes and Clark one.

The season

Wilson, 30, led the league in scoring and in blocks. She shot 52.7% from the field and averaged 9.4 rebounds in 41 games. Her scoring average was the second-highest in WNBA history, behind her own record from 2024.

According to ESPN, she is the first WNBA player to average 25 points while shooting 50% from the field and 40% on three-pointers. The Guardian reported that she shot a career-best 40.4% from three-point range. It also reported that she scored at least 30 points in 13 games, tying her own single-season record.

The Aces, the defending champions, finished the regular season 31-13. They entered the playoffs as the third seed, their eighth straight postseason. According to The Guardian, they trail Golden State 2-0 in their best-of-five semi-final. They host Game 3 on Friday needing a win to avoid elimination.

Wilson's five MVP awards match the NBA totals of Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the NBA record with six.

What is disputed

The reports differ on some figures. The Guardian and ESPN put her scoring average at 26.2 points per game; a separate ESPN analysis gives 26.0. The Guardian lists an efficiency rating of 30.4; ESPN lists a player efficiency rating of 32.4. Both outlets give 1.9 blocks per game. A separate ESPN analysis says she averaged at least 2.0 for a fourth straight season. The reports do not resolve these differences.

What each side says

Asked about being listed alongside five-time MVP winners, Wilson told ESPN: "That's basketball royalty." She added: "Just being a part of it, it has not been easy."

Aces coach Becky Hammon, quoted by ESPN, said: "She's the most coachable player I've ever been around. There's a reason why she keeps coming back better and better each year."

Analysis

The award places Wilson among a small group of multiple MVP winners across North American professional sports. Its immediate context, however, is a difficult playoff position. According to The Guardian, the Aces must win Game 3 against Golden State to keep their title defence alive; a loss would end their season, while a win would extend the series. Longer term, ESPN reported that back issues kept Wilson out of the FIBA Women's World Cup. The reports do not describe the current status of those issues, so their effect on future seasons cannot be assessed. The statistical discrepancies between outlets are small and do not affect the award itself.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.