LAS VEGAS — It’s official: A’ja Wilson is a five-time WNBA MVP. She became the first WNBA player to win the MVP award three times in a row, and the first player to win five in total.
Wilson joins elite company after securing the MVP award, joining Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jordan and Russell have five each, while Abdul-Jabbar has six.
“This is pretty solidified in a bunch of different ways,” Wilson told reporters in Thursday’s press conference. “I’m not satisfied, but I’m so grateful and so blessed to be able to do what I do. Obviously to get rewarded is fun, but just to do it with so much fun, I never want to lose the fun of the game. Yes, my resume, hopefully it continues to get long, and I can love this, but I don’t want to lose the fun and the joy of this game. So I am grateful to have my name alongside other greats that played all different kinds of sports. To be able to say you’re one of the greats, I think it just goes a long way.”
Wilson’s season was nothing short of impressive. Averaging 26.2 points a game and 9.4 rebounds a game, she ended the regular season with 20 double-doubles. She moved up to sixth place on the WNBA’s all-time blocks list with a total of 612 career blocks. She’s averaged 1.9 blocks per game this season, along with 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals.
In this year’s playoffs, she’s averaged similar stats. In five games, she’s averaged 28.8 points, along with 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. She played a key role in eliminating the Indiana Fever, scoring 38 points in Game 1. In Game 2, she had 22 points and in Game 3, she had 36.
In the regular season, Wilson tied her own record for most 30+ point games with 13. On May 15, she scored 45 points against the Connecticut Sun, becoming the only player to have multiple 45+ point games. She also managed seven double-doubles of 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Wilson also started off the season 21st on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. She’s moved up 10 spots into 11th, and with only 12 more points, will pass Sue Bird for 10th overall.
“If you’re able to set a standard, if you’re able to rewrite things and kind of etch yourself into history books, it means a lot,” Wilson told reporters during Thursday’s press conference. “I can’t stop saying that I’m so grateful that I can share these moments with so many different people. It’s always fun when you’re able to set the standard, giving people and yourself something to chase after, because that’s all we’re doing at the end of the day, we’re chasing for something.”
To Wilson, this award meant even more. She received a call from former Vice President Kamala Harris, who announced to her that she earned the 2026 MVP. Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis, along with head coach Becky Hammon, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Wilson’s mother, Eva, brought out each trophy. Wilson told reporters that this award hit a little closer to home.
“This one here, I cried a little bit harder,” Wilson told reporters in the press conference. “This one here is just a little different. When you dream as a young girl, you dream so big and you write your goals down, and you just never imagine that you’re able to check them off. When you’re able to just check them off, it truly means a lot, and I think that’s why I cried a little harder on this one. 15 year-old A’ja wasn’t dreaming about being a five-time MVP. She wasn’t dreaming about being a three-time champion, she was dreaming about surviving this world.”
Wilson also shared that she had no clue she was receiving this award, especially at practice. She went about Thursday as an average practice day. She said even her partner and Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo knew of the news for a week. However, everyone in the know kept it a surprise and turned her practice into a special moment.
The MVP and the Las Vegas Aces take on the Golden State Valkyries in Game 3 of the semifinals on Friday, Oct. 9. Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. PST at Michelob Ultra Arena. The game will be live on Peacock and NBCSN.
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