A'ja Wilson earns fourth WNBA MVP after record-breaking season
Las Vegas Aces star becomes the first player to win four MVP awards; led the league in points per game and blocks, with 13 30-point games.
A'ja Wilson has been named the WNBA's Most Valuable Player for the fourth time, becoming the first player in league history to win the award four times. The Las Vegas Aces star powered the season by leading the league in points per game and blocks, helping Las Vegas secure a top seed and a deep postseason push.
Wilson averaged 23.4 points and 2.3 blocks per game, and she produced 13 30-point performances, the most in a single season in WNBA history. The 6-foot-4 center also contributed across the board for Las Vegas, which finished among the league's best teams and earned home-court advantage in the playoffs. The milestone comes as she cemented a dominant run that has spanned several seasons and elevated her into the conversation as one of the sport's all-time greats.
Wilson became the first player to post seasons averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game across multiple seasons since the league's inception. The accomplishment underscores her two-way impact and consistency, reinforcing why she has been a driving force for the Aces' success over the last several years. While the numbers this season stand out, they also fit a broader pattern of Wilson repeatedly elevating her production in big games and important moments, a hallmark that has shaped how opponents game-plan for Las Vegas.
The award solidifies Wilson's place atop a distinguished lineage of MVPs. With four honors, she moves past Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson for the most MVP awards in WNBA history. Cynthia Cooper remains the only player to win MVP in consecutive seasons, doing so in 1997 and 1998, a benchmark that Wilson now has matched in terms of total titles. The timing of the announcement comes as the league advances toward the semifinals, in which Wilson and the Aces will defend their status against a formidable opponent.
Finalists for the honor were Allisha Gray, Alyssa Thomas and Kelsey Mitchell, underscoring a season in which multiple players delivered standout campaigns across the league. Mitchell and Wilson were among the top contenders as the awards process concluded, while Thomas and Collier's respective teams — the Lynx and Mercury — joined the mix in the postseason bracket. The WNBA semifinals are set, with the Aces facing the Fever on one side and the Lynx squaring off with the Mercury on the other. Both series are best-of-five, with first games scheduled this weekend.