This time there was no voting for the fourth place.
A’ja Wilson became the second player in WNBA history to win the unanimous Most Valuable Player Award, the league announced Sunday ahead of first-round playoff games. The Las Vegas Aces forward received 67 first-place votes for 670 points from a panel of national sportswriters and broadcasters.
Minnesota Lynx forward Nabeesa Collier finished second with 66 of 67 second-place votes and 467 points. New York forward Breanna Stewart (295 points), Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark (130) and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (83 points) rounded out the top five.
This is the third MVP award for Wilson, who won in 2020 and 2022. She finished third last year in one of the closest votes in WNBA history and was honored by a voter who placed her fourth on a five-player MVP ballot. He wore a Total Votes T-shirt celebrating the Aces’ second consecutive championship and used it as fuel to dominate this season, one of the best performances in league history.
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is the only player to win the award unanimously, doing so in the league’s inaugural season in 1997. Wilson is the fourth player in WNBA history to win three MVPs, joining Sherrill Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson. MVP awards to their name.
Wilson undoubtedly put together an incredible season, averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Two weeks ago, Wilson broke the league’s single-season scoring record and became the first player to surpass 1,000 points in a season. Her scoring average broke the record of 25.3 points per game set by Diana Taurasi in 2006. She is the first player to lead the league in total points, rebounds and blocks in a season.
His season highlights are a list of accomplishments ranging from the two highest scoring games of the season (42 and 41 points) to consecutive games of 20 or more points. He scored at least 20 in all but four aces games, another record, and posted the highest single-season average in defensive rebounds per game (9.8).
His high production was needed for an Aces team that flowed into its season unlike past years. She was the sole offense most nights and single-handedly carried the team to victory. Aces has moved from the top 3 positions since 2019 to the 4th position. He was named an All-Star for the sixth time and won his second Olympic gold medal with the U.S. team in Paris. History will look back on his last three years as one of the best stretches for a player in basketball.
The Aces face the Storm in the first round on Sunday. Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty), Nneka Okwumike (Storm), Kahlia Copper (Mercury), Arik Ogunbowale (Wings), Jonquale Jones (Liberty), Kelsey Mitchell (Fever), Angel Reese (Sky), Deerika Hampi (Sparks), DeWanna Bonner (Suns) and Kyla McBride (Lynx) all made it onto at least one MVP ballot.
