A’ja Wilson fine-tunes her shooting touch following every practice. That little bit of extra work has defined her greatness since being drafted first overall in 2018.
On Thursday, she received a voice message from former US vice-president Kamala Harris congratulating her on redefining greatness leaguewide after she was named WNBA MVP for a third straight year and for the fifth time overall.
“Obviously, that is an honor,” Wilson said. “A woman of our history, and I’m so appreciative to be able to share that moment with her through the phone call and the message of her delivering that I won my fifth MVP.”
In addition to becoming the first player to three-peat, Wilson won the award in 2020 and 2022.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Aces owner Mark Davis and team president Nikki Fargas accompanied Wilson’s mother, Eva, who presented her daughter with the trophy.
“Each one of these has not been taken lightly,” Wilson said, flanked by all five of her MVP trophies. “In my heart, they’ve always been so special. But this one here, I cried a little bit harder. This one here is just a little bit different, and whatever that may look like, or whatever that may feel, my fifth one, I think, is one that’s just … when you dream as a young girl, your dream so big and you write your goals out, and you just never imagine that you were able to just check them off.
“And when you’re able to check them off – small wins, big wins – it truly means a lot. And so I think that’s why I cried a little bit harder on this one, because 15-year-old A’ja wasn’t sitting up here dreaming about being a five-time MVP. She wasn’t dreaming about being a three-time champion. She was dreaming about surviving this world.”
The 30-year-old Wilson once again led the league in scoring (26.2) while shooting nearly 53% from the field. She averaged 9.4 rebounds, a career-best 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks.
The 6ft 4in center-forward continued to expand her offensive repertoire, shooting a career-best 40.4% from three-point range while making a personal-high 38 three-pointers. Her career scoring average of 22.1 points per game is now the highest in league history.
Wilson scored at least 30 points in 13 games, tying the single-season record she established last year, and recorded 33 games of at least 20 points. She also led the league with 19 double-doubles featuring at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Her season included a 45-point performance against Connecticut on 15 May, making her the first player in WNBA history with multiple games of at least 45 points. She climbed from 21st to 11th on the league’s all-time scoring list and now stands just 12 points from overtaking Sue Bird for 10th.
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Wilson has helped the defending champion Las Vegas Aces reach the WNBA semi-finals for the eighth consecutive season after finishing the regular season with a 31-13 record. But their pursuit of a fourth championship in five years is in jeopardy, with the third-seeded Aces trailing Golden State 2-0 in their best-of-five series. Las Vegas will host Game 3 on Friday night, needing a victory to keep their season alive.
“This is great, I love it, not going to take for granted, shine her up, let’s do it,” Wilson said. “But tomorrow, when it comes to hoisting it in front of the fans, I love the fans … but I doubt I will be doing that. I’ll be warming up with my team. … Everyone in this room knows the competitor that I am. Everyone knows what my main focus is, and that is to get a game.”
Wilson received 65 of 74 first-place votes and nine second-place votes for 713 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles finished second with 442 points and six first-place votes, followed by Indiana guards Kelsey Mitchell (287 points) and Caitlin Clark (212). New York’s Breanna Stewart rounded out the top five with 171 points.
No other WNBA player has won more than three MVP awards, with Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson each claiming the honor three times. In the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with six MVP awards, while Michael Jordan and Bill Russell each won five.
“A’ja Wilson is one of one,” Fargas said. “She’s now standing in a category that no other WNBA player in the history of the league has accomplished. She’s in the conversations with the Michael Jordans and the Wayne Gretzkys of the world – where she belongs.”
