The Aces and A’ja Wilson are on fire, going into the final six games of the season trying to keep an already impressive ten-game win streak alive. After looking like a team that would struggle to make the playoffs to start the season, the Aces surged to the No.3 seed, surpassing the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury in the standings.
A’ja Wilson has, unsurprisingly, been the engine behind the Aces’ success. She scored 30 or more points in five of the last ten games and recorded eight double-doubles. With Napheesa Collier sidelined due to an ankle injury, Wilson has done her best to turn around the MVP conversation in her favor.
After Wilson recorded 36 points on 63.6% shooting from the field, 13 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks in a 91-81 win over the Washington Mystics, Aces head coach Becky Hammon was asked if she thought Wilson was the MVP of the league yet again.
“There’s zero doubts in my mind,” Hammon responded confidently.
Hammon isn’t the first coach to push her star player’s MVP case this weekend. Nate Tibbetts made the case for why Alyssa Thomas should win MVP, and Cheryl Reeve advocated for Napheesa Collier, arguing that the Lynx wouldn’t be the top team in the league without her. Adding Hammon’s statement to the list of MVP endorsements says everything there is to be said about this year’s MVP race: it is a close race. All three players have been playing exceptionally well and deserve the honor.
This year’s MVP race is reminiscent of the one in 2023
The MVP race is different every year. Last season, for example, there was no doubt that A’ja Wilson was the MVP. She won the award unanimously. In the previous season, the choice wasn’t quite as obvious. Much like this year, three players made excellent cases.
Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, and A’ja Wilson were battling it out, leading the top three teams in the league and putting up impressive numbers all around.
Stewart ultimately won the award with 446 points and 20 first-place votes. Thomas and Wilson weren’t far behind, though, receiving 439 and 433 points, respectively.
This year’s MVP race seems very similar with three players making strong cases. Collier has the clear advantage that she is playing for the best team in the league and leads the league in points per game while also leading the best defense in the WNBA. She does everything for a team that has suffered few losses with her on the court this season. Wilson and Thomas have historic milestones on their side, though. Thomas continues to break any triple-double record imaginable, and Wilson was the first player in WNBA history to finish a game with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds.