Aces’ A’ja Wilson becomes second unanimous MVP in WNBA history

LAS VEGAS — Aces middle A’ja Wilson turned the second participant in WNBA historical past to win the league’s MVP as a unanimous alternative Sunday, gathering all 67 first-place votes for 670 factors from a media panel.

The one different unanimous MVP was Houston guard Cynthia Cooper within the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997.

Minnesota Lynx ahead Napheesa Collier (467 factors) completed second within the voting on 66 of the 67 ballots. New York’s Breanna Stewart (295 factors) obtained the opposite second-place vote and completed third general.

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark (130 factors) completed fourth, whereas Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas (83) rounded out the highest 5. Gamers have been awarded 10 factors for a first-place vote, seven for second, 5 for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

“Hopefully once I look again and mirror, that positively touches my coronary heart,” Wilson stated Sunday of being a unanimous alternative. “It means so much, it actually does.”

Wilson beforehand gained the MVP in 2020 and 2022. She was third final 12 months in one of many closest MVP races in league historical past, ending behind winner Stewart and runner-up Thomas. That lit a hearth underneath an already super-competitive Wilson, who ran away from the sector early this season and by no means let anybody catch up.

That was sort of my mindset going into this 12 months — I did not need to go away any doubt,” Wilson stated. I wanted to determine myself to say, ‘That is what I am working laborious in the direction of, and now it is time to showcase the whole lot I have been engaged on.’

Wilson turned the primary WNBA participant to achieve 1,000 factors in a season, ending with 1,021, whereas additionally setting the league document for rebounds in a season with 451.

We all the time discuss, ‘Make your teammate nice, after which within the course of you turn out to be the best,'” Aces coach Becky Hammon stated. “A’ja is a superb instance of that — simply making all people nice round her. She’s the best, as a result of she’s so authentically dedicated to that: pulling greatness out of different folks.

“It has been enjoyable to educate her. She’s only a actually, actually gifted human being. I’ve sort of run out of adjectives. She’s superb. She’s the most effective participant on this planet, and she or he’s among the best folks on this planet.”

Wilson joins three different gamers in successful the MVP for the third time: ahead Sheryl Swoopes (Houston), middle Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) and ahead/middle Lauren Jackson (Seattle). All are retired and within the Naismith Corridor of Fame.

Wilson led the WNBA this season in scoring (26.9), blocks (2.6), participant effectivity score (34.9) and win shares (10.9). Her scoring common is the best ever for a WNBA season, surpassing Diana Taurasi’s 25.3 factors per recreation in 2006.

Wilson’s rebounding (11.9 per recreation), block and steal (1.8) averages are also profession highs. She had two video games this season with 40-plus factors and 9 others with 30 or extra.

The 6-foot-4 Wilson scored no less than 20 factors in 89.5% of her video games (34 of 38), additionally a WNBA single-season document.

Wilson led the Aces to the 2022 and 2023 WNBA championships, and she or he was WNBA Finals MVP final season. The No. 1 draft pick of South Carolina in 2018, she was Rookie of the Yr that season. Wilson turned 28 in August and gained her second Olympic gold medal final month.

Las Vegas is the No. 4 seed within the playoffs and faces No. 5 Seattle in Sport 1 of their best-of-three first-round collection Sunday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).