Aces’ A’ja Wilson becomes second unanimous MVP in WNBA history

LAS VEGAS — Aces center A’ja Wilson on Sunday became the second player in WNBA history to win the league’s MVP award as a unanimous choice, garnering 67 first-place votes for 670 points from a media panel.

The only other unanimous MVP was Houston guard Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (467 points) finished second on 66 of 67 ballots. New York’s Breanna Stewart (295 points) received the other second-place vote and finished third overall.

Indiana Fever freshman Caitlin Clark (130 points) finished fourth, while Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas (83) rounded out the top five. Players received 10 points for a first-place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

Wilson previously won MVP honors in 2020 and 2022. She finished third last year in one of the tightest MVP races in league history, finishing behind winner Stewart and runner-up Thomas. That set the stage for an already super-competitive Wilson, who ran off the court early in the season and never let anyone catch her.

Wilson became the first WNBA player to reach 1,000 points in a season, finishing with 1,021, while also setting the league record for rebounds in a season with 451.

“We always say, ‘Make your teammate great, and in doing so, you’ll become the best,’” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “A’ja is a great example of that: She makes everyone around her great. She’s the best because she’s so genuinely committed to what she does: bringing out the greatness in others.”

“It was fun coaching her. She’s a really, really gifted human being. I’m really running out of adjectives. She’s incredible. She’s the best player in the world and one of the best people in the world.”

Wilson joins three other players who have won MVPs for the third time: forward Sheryl Swoopes (Houston), center Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) and forward/center Lauren Jackson (Seattle). All are retired and inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Wilson led the WNBA this season in points scored (26.9), blocks (2.6), field goal percentage (34.9) and winning percentage (10.9). Her scoring average is the highest ever for a WNBA season, surpassing Diana Taurasi’s 25.3 points per game in 2006.

Wilson’s averages in rebounds (11.9 per game), blocks and steals (1.8) are also career highs. She has two games this season with 40-plus points and nine others with 30 or more points.

The 6-foot-4 Wilson has scored at least 20 points in 89.5 percent of her games (34 of 38), which is also a WNBA single-season record.

Wilson led the Aces to the 2022 and 2023 WNBA championships, and she was named WNBA Finals MVP last season. The first overall pick out of South Carolina in 2018, she was named Rookie of the Year that season. Wilson turned 28 in August and won her second Olympic gold medal last month.

Las Vegas is the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and will face No. 5 Seattle in the opener of their best-of-three first-round series on Sunday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).