A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces has made history by becoming the second player in WNBA history to secure the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award as a unanimous selection. On Sunday, Wilson garnered all 67 first-place votes, totaling 670 points from a panel of media voters. The first player to achieve this feat was Cynthia Cooper, who was the unanimous MVP in the league’s inaugural season in 1997.
Following Wilson in the voting was Napheesa Collier from the Minnesota Lynx, who earned 467 points and appeared on 66 of the 67 ballots, placing second. New York’s Breanna Stewart collected one second-place vote, finishing third overall with 295 points. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas rounded out the top five, finishing fourth and fifth with 130 and 83 points, respectively.
Reflecting on her unanimous selection, Wilson expressed her gratitude, saying it deeply touches her heart and means a lot. This marks her third MVP title, having previously won in 2020 and 2022. Last season, she placed third in what was one of the tightest MVP races in league history, which motivated her to elevate her performance this year.
Wilson made a remarkable impact this season, becoming the first WNBA player to exceed 1,000 points in a season, finishing with 1,021 points and setting a league record with 451 rebounds. She led the WNBA in several categories, including scoring (26.9 points per game), blocks (2.6), player efficiency rating (34.9), and win shares (10.9). Her scoring average is the highest in WNBA history, surpassing Diana Taurasi’s previous record of 25.3 points per game set in 2006.
Aces coach Becky Hammon praised Wilson for her commitment to making her teammates better, noting her exceptional talent and character. Wilson is one of four players to win the MVP award three times, joining the ranks of former stars Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson, all of whom are now retired and inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
This season, Wilson showcased her scoring prowess, reaching at least 20 points in 89.5% of her games, setting another single-season record. She led the Aces to consecutive WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023 and was named the WNBA Finals MVP last year. Since being the top draft pick from South Carolina in 2018, she also won the Rookie of the Year award that same season. Recently turning 28, Wilson added a second Olympic gold medal to her accolades last month.
Looking ahead, the Las Vegas Aces, now the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, are set to face the No. 5 Seattle Storm in the first game of their best-of-three first-round series this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.