Las Vegas Aces’ star A’ja Wilson has put together one of the most historic seasons in WNBA history, and on Sunday she was rewarded for her efforts by being named the second unanimous MVP in league history.
Wilson won all 67 first-place votes and joined former Houston Comets star Cynthia Cooper, who won league MVP in the league’s inaugural season in 1997, as the only two players to win the honor unanimously.
“We always talk about, ‘Make your teammate great, and then in the process you become the greatest,'” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “A’ja is a great example of that — just making everybody great around her. She’s the greatest, because she’s so authentically committed to that: pulling greatness out of other people.
“It’s been fun to coach her. She’s just a really, really gifted human being. I’ve kind of run out of adjectives. She’s amazing. She’s the best player in the world, and she’s one of the best people in the world.”
Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to amass 1,000 points in a single season (she finished with 1,021) and also won the rebounding title this year (451).
She finished ahead of Minnesota’s Naphessa Collier, New York’s Breanna Stewart, Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas.
This is A’ja’s third league MVP award (2020, 2022), joining former WNBA legends and Basketball Hall of Famers Sheryl Swoopes (Houston), Lisa Leslie (LA Sparks) and Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm).
She adds a third MVP to her growing resume, which includes Rookie of the Year, 2x Olympic gold medalist, 2x WNBA champion (2022, 2023) and WNBA Finals MVP.
Her quest to three-peat begins Sunday night in the first round of the playoffs as the no.4 Aces take on the no.5 Storm.
