A’ja Wilson wins fifth WNBA MVP and third in a row

A’ja Wilson won her fifth WNBA Most Valuable Player award on Thursday, October 8, becoming the first player to take the honor in three consecutive seasons. The Associated Press reported the latest recognition for the Las Vegas Aces star.

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Wilson collected 713 points, including 65 first-place votes and nine second-place selections. Minnesota’s Olivia Miles was runner-up with 442 points and six first-place votes. Indiana teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark finished next, receiving 287 and 212 points respectively.

The 30-year-old led the league in scoring at 26.2 points per game and shot nearly 53% from the field. Her averages also included 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and a career-best 3.2 assists, according to AP’s account of the award.

The WNBA’s official award records show how Wilson built her collection: she first won in 2020, added another in 2022 and returned to the top in 2024 and 2025. Her fourth award had already put her ahead of Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson, who each won three. Thursday’s result extends that record.

Her previous winning season provides a measure of the sustained production behind those awards. In its 2025 announcement, the WNBA credited Wilson with averages of 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists across 40 appearances. She led that season’s scoring race and averaged 2.3 blocks, also the best mark in the league.

The league’s 2025 release also recorded 13 games in which Wilson scored at least 30 points, then a single-season WNBA record. She received 51 first-place votes in that year’s MVP ballot, finishing ahead of Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier. Las Vegas closed the 2025 regular season with 16 straight victories and a 30-14 record to claim the second playoff seed.

The current postseason presents a separate challenge. AP reported that the defending champion Aces have reached an eighth consecutive semifinal but trail Golden State 2-0 in their best-of-five series. Wilson’s individual milestone therefore arrives with Las Vegas facing elimination.