A'ja Wilson of the Aces becomes the second unanimous MVP in WNBA history

LAS VEGAS – Aces center A'ja Wilson became the second player in WNBA history to be unanimously voted league MVP on Sunday. She received all 67 first-place votes from a panel of media judges, earning 670 points.

The only other player to be unanimously named MVP was Houston defender Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (467 points) finished second with 66 of the 67 votes cast. New York's Breanna Stewart (295 points) received the second vote and finished third overall.

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark (130 points) finished fourth, while Connecticut's Alyssa Thomas (83) rounded out the top five. The players received 10 points for first place, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

“When I look back and think about it, I hope it touches me deeply,” Wilson said Sunday of the unanimous vote. “It really means a lot to me.”

Wilson already won the MVP title in 2020 and 2022. Last year, she finished third in one of the closest MVP races in league history, finishing behind winner Stewart and runner-up Thomas. That fired up an already extremely competitive Wilson, who ran away from the field earlier this season and let no one catch her.

“That was pretty much my mindset for this year – I didn't want to leave any doubts,” Wilson said. “I had to establish myself and say, 'This is what I'm working hard toward and now it's time to showcase everything I've been working on.'”

Wilson was the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season (1,021) and also set the league single-season record with 451 rebounds.

“We always talk about, 'Make your teammate great, and then you'll be the greatest,'” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “A'ja is a great example of that – she just makes everyone around her great. She's the greatest because she's so authentically committed to that: bringing out greatness in other people.”

“She's been fun to coach. She's just a really, really gifted person. I'm kind of running out of adjectives. She's incredible. She's the best player in the world and one of the best people in the world.”

Wilson is MVP for the third time, along with three other players: forward Sheryl Swoopes (Houston), center Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) and forward/center Lauren Jackson (Seattle). All are retired and in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Wilson led the WNBA in points (26.9), blocks (2.6), player efficiency (34.9) and win shares (10.9) this season. Her scoring average is the highest ever in a WNBA season, surpassing Diana Taurasi's 25.3 points per game in 2006.

Wilson's averages of rebounds (11.9 per game), blocks and steals (1.8) are also career highs. She had two games with over 40 points this season and nine more with 30 or more.

The 6'4″ Wilson scored at least 20 points in 89.5% of her games (34 of 38), which is also a WNBA season record.

Wilson led the Aces to the 2022 and 2023 WNBA championships and was WNBA Finals MVP last season. A No. 1 draft pick out of South Carolina in 2018, she was Rookie of the Year this season. Wilson turned 28 in August and won her second Olympic gold medal last month.

Las Vegas is the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and will face No. 5 Seattle in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round series on Sunday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).