Aces center A'ja Wilson won a record fifth WNBA Most Valuable Player award for the 2026 season, becoming the first player in league history to win three straight MVPs. Wilson received 65 of the 74 first-place votes. Lynx rookie guard Olivia Miles finished second, followed by Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell in third and Caitlin Clark in fourth. Liberty forward Breanna Stewart was fifth.
Wilson said the honor meant more to her than past awards. "As a girl, you dream so big, and you write your goals out, and you just never imagine that you will be able to check them off," she said. She added that the 15-year-old version of herself was dreaming about surviving, not about being a five-time MVP.
The Aces will normally honor an MVP at a pregame ceremony, but the team has struggled after such events in recent seasons. With Las Vegas down 2-0 in its best-of-five semifinal series against the Golden State Valkyries, Wilson said she will skip the ceremony on Friday and warm up with her team instead. "I love the fans, but I will not be doing that," she said.
Wilson became the first WNBA player to average at least 25 points while shooting at least 50% from the floor and 40% on 3-pointers. Her 26.2-point scoring average ranked second in league history. She joins NBA legends Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as five-time MVP winners.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing