Las Vegas Aces standout player A’ja Wilson has made history by clinching her fourth WNBA MVP award, a record achievement in the league. Wilson secured the award unanimously for the second consecutive year, adding to her victories in 2020 and 2022. The only other players to achieve this feat were Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson, who each won the MVP title three times. Wilson and former Houston Comets legend Cynthia Cooper are the only players to have won the award unanimously. Cooper also holds the distinction of winning it in back-to-back seasons in the WNBA’s inaugural years (1997, 1998).
Wilson once again demonstrated her dominance, leading the league in scoring with an average of 23.4 points per game and in blocked shots with 2.3 per game. Her stellar performance helped the Aces secure 16 consecutive wins in the regular season, leading them to the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. For the second year running, Wilson maintained impressive averages of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal per game, a unique accomplishment in WNBA history for a player appearing in at least 15 games.
In addition to her MVP recognition, the 29-year-old Wilson was also named the league’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Minnesota’s Alanna Smith for the third time in four seasons. Meanwhile, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier emerged as the runner-up for MVP for the second consecutive season, garnering 18 first-place votes. Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas secured the third spot with 291 points and three first-place votes. Allisha Gray from the Atlanta Dream and Kelsey Mitchell from the Indiana Fever rounded out the top five vote-getters with 180 and 93 points, respectively.
Voting for the MVP award followed a points system, with players receiving 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for second place, five points for third place, three points for fourth place, and one point for fifth place. Wilson had previously been recognized as the AP Player of the Year earlier this month.