A’ja Wilson secured her fifth WNBA MVP accolade on Thursday, marking a historic achievement with a third consecutive win. In addition to her recent back-to-back victories in 2020 and 2022, the 30-year-old center showcased her dominance by leading the league in scoring with an impressive 26.2 points per game and maintaining a remarkable field goal percentage of nearly 53%. Wilson’s well-rounded performance also included averaging 9.4 rebounds, a career-high 3.2 assists, and 1.9 blocks.
Despite Wilson’s stellar contributions, the reigning champion Aces find themselves trailing 2-0 in the WNBA semifinals against Golden State, marking their eighth consecutive appearance in the playoff stage. Wilson’s exceptional season was recognized by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who awarded her 65 first-place votes and nine second-place votes, totaling 713 points.
Minnesota’s Olivia Miles secured significant recognition with six first-place votes and 40 second-place votes, accumulating a total of 442 points. Following closely behind were Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark with 287 and 212 points, respectively. Wilson’s achievement puts her in an exclusive category as the only WNBA player to have clinched five MVP titles, surpassing the previous record held by Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson, each with three MVP wins. Notable NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Bill Russell have achieved six and five MVP titles, respectively.
