Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson was asked about the possibility of winning an unprecedented fourth WNBA MVP award during an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews on Thursday’s edition of NBA Today (13:15 mark).
“It’s crazy, it really is, but I’m honestly just blessed to be in the position that I’m in. Honestly, just to have my name in these conversations on the list of greats when you’re talking about the WNBA, and every single time I step on the court, I don’t take a moment for granted. I know that I’m entertainment. I know that I’m trying to wow the fans, and we as the Aces are just trying to play good basketball.
“And that’s what it’s truly all about. I love what I do every single day. So, if it brings another MVP, let’s do it, let’s go for it, but if it doesn’t, we still going to do it and go for it again. So I’m grateful, I’m blessed to be just surrounded by an amazing team that helps me just be who I am.”
It’ll be hard to deny Wilson of a fourth WNBA MVP after she previously won in 2020, 2022 and 2024. That would break a league record as Wilson, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson all have three apiece.
Wilson has averaged a league-high 23.4 points on 50.4 percent shooting, 9.9 rebounds (second in WNBA), 3.0 assists, a WNBA-high 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals for the 29-14 Aces, who have won 15 straight games. Remarkably, Las Vegas has won those contests by an average of 11.3 points per game. In addition, during that win streak, Wilson had a stretch of 12 games where she averaged 28.6 points per game.
Wilson has led the Aces from a mediocre season to a potential championship-winning one. In fact, Las Vegas will earn the playoffs’ No. 2 seed with a win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night.
As for the MVP, Wilson’s greatest (and arguably only) competition is Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier. She’s having an amazing season in her own right for the first-place squad, averaging 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.
We’ll find out who wins the MVP soon enough, but in the meantime, Wilson is trying to lead the Aces to their third championship in four seasons, while Collier is seeking Minnesota’s first title since 2017, which capped a seven-year stretch when the Lynx won four titles in seven years.
It’s certainly possible Wilson’s Aces and Collier’s Lynx meet in the WNBA Finals. For now, though, both must finish the regular season Thursday before the playoffs start Sunday.
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