A'ja Wilson wins WNBA MVP for record fourth time

A'ja Wilson is the WNBA's first four-time WNBA MVP.

This is the second consecutive win for the Las Vegas Aces star, who also was named MVP in 2020 and 2022.

Wilson received 51 of 72 first-place votes and 21 second-place votes (657 points) from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, the WNBA said Sunday. Second was forward Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, who had 18 first-place votes and 534 points.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas earned the remaining first-place votes to finish third, followed by Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, the other finalists.

With four awards in eight seasons, Wilson has one more than Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.

Wilson, 29, helped the Aces end the regular season on a 16-game winning streak, averaging 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in that run. She set a WNBA single-season record for games of 30 or more points with 13.

In 40 games this season, she averaged a league-high 23.4 points plus 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Wilson also won co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside Minnesota's Alanna Smith this week; Wilson ranked second in the league in blocks (92) and third in steals (64).

Wilson will be in action Sunday as the Aces host the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series.

Collier was last year's Defensive Player of the Year and the 2025 All-Star Game MVP. She became the second woman in league history to post a 50-40-90 shooting season, following Elena Delle Donne in 2019; Collier finished the year shooting 53.1 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from 3-point range and 90.6 percent at the foul line.

Collier averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest over 33 games.

Thomas, who received MVP votes four of the last five seasons and was runner-up in 2023, averaged 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and a league- and career-high 9.2 assists over 39 games.

Mitchell played all 44 games for the Fever and averaged 20.2 points -- third in the league to only Wilson and Collier -- and 3.4 assists.

Gray put up 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 42 games for the Dream. She finished third in voting for the Most Improved Player award.

--Field Level Media