‘One of one’: A’ja Wilson stands alone with record fifth WNBA MVP award

A’ja Wilson was named the WNBA’s most valuable player on Thursday for a third consecutive year and a record fifth time overall.

Wilson became the first player in league history to win the award three years running, having also claimed the honor in 2020 and 2022.

The 30-year-old once again led the league in scoring, averaging 26.2 points per game while shooting nearly 53% from the field. She also averaged 9.4 rebounds, a career-high 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks.

Wilson has helped the defending champion Las Vegas Aces reach the WNBA semi-finals for the eighth consecutive season, although they trail Golden State 2-0 in their best-of-five series.

Wilson received 65 first-place votes and nine second-place votes for a total of 713 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota’s Olivia Miles received six first-place votes and 40 second-place votes for 442 points, while Indiana guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark followed with 287 and 212 points, respectively.

No other WNBA player has won more than three MVP awards, with Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson each claiming the honor three times. In the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with six MVP awards, while Michael Jordan and Bill Russell each won five.