There are seasons when the race for the WNBA MVP trophy is close, competitive and interesting.
Last year was marked by one of them, when New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart defeated Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas by only seven voting points-and Thomas had three other first votes. The 2005 season marked another narrow debate when Sheryl Swoopes received two more voting points than Lauren Jackson.
But this season is not one of those years. Frankly, there is only one logical choice for the league MVP award. It should be a runaway and unanimous decision. It must have been the third time Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson took home the trophy. And it shouldn’t be close.
A year ago, Wilson finished third in a tight MVP race, just 13 voting points behind the winner, Stewart. There has never been a smaller margin between first- and third-place votes for MVP in WNBA history.
If Wilson uses that bronze medal as motivation, then it works. He dominated during the 2023 postseason and led the Aces to their second straight championship while taking home the Finals MVP award. If the consolation prize is there, it’s good enough.
Then Wilson went on to have one of the best seasons ever by a WNBA player.
The 28-year-old forward from Columbia, South Carolina, averaged 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor and 84, 4 percent from the charity stripe. She leads all WNBA players in points, blocks, defensive rebounds, field goals, and free throws.
No player in the history of the WNBA, who played the first season in 1997, has averaged as many points, rebounds and blocks in one season as Wilson years. Simply put, he did something no player had ever done before. The University of South Carolina product also recently became the first player to score at least 1,000 points in a single season, and he held the league’s single-season rebounding record Tuesday night with seven in a win over the Seattle Storm.
“Since I’ve been a part of this league, which is 1999, I don’t know if we’ve seen a season like this,” Aces coach Becky Hammon told ESPN. “He’s just a great player to watch … And he makes it look easy. It’s not easy. It’s a special, generational talent.”
Oh, and Wilson also excels in advanced stats. She is second in the WNBA in points-per-game (1.12), and first in defensive rebounding rate (31.8), player efficiency rating (34.9) and win shares (10). He also posted a career-best defensive rating of 90.5.
“I can probably say she’s the best rebounder I’ve ever seen, hands down,” said 2009 WNBA MVP Diana Taurasi Wilson. “If you can secure the ball for your team, you will definitely give your team a chance to win. He just plays out of his mind, and he will continue to do it because he loves the game.
It’s even hard to make a case for who could be Wilson’s runner-up this season. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has drawn a lot of attention with her three-point shooting and terrific assists — which she leads the league — but she doesn’t score and defend at the same rate and efficiency as Wilson. Stewart is having an All-WNBA-caliber season, but not one that rises to MVP level. Napheesa Collier may have had his best campaign as a pro and led the Minnesota Lynx back to the postseason, but no one can argue that he had a better year than Wilson.
The Aces didn’t look as dominant as last season when they won 34-6 for their second championship. This year, they have lost three games in a row and have lost five of seven games. Wilson’s play, durability, reliability and heroics are a big reason why Las Vegas is back in the postseason with three-peating hopes still alive. He has missed just one game this season and has played a career-high 34.4 minutes per game.
“It’s an honor to be able to play with him,” Aces guard Jackie Young told ESPN. “He comes every day and shows what a professional is.”
As long as Wilson plays this way, consider the Aces to be contenders for the title.
And go ahead and pencil him in to join the likes of Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as three-time MVP.