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The 2021 WNBA season is set to begin on May 14, and a host of talented players are expected to be in the running for this year’s MVP Award. Five different women have won since 2016, and only two active players have won the award twice. Last year’s winner is the favorite to repeat at DraftKings Sportsbook, and we’ll look over the top contenders and sleepers here.
Favorites
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (+300)
Wilson is the odds-on favorite and amassed 43 of the 47 first-place votes last season. The Aces forward ranked second in points per game (20.5), sixth in rebounding (8.5). She was also one of the WNBA’s elite rim protectors and led all players with two blocks per game. The Aces finished with the best record in the WNBA last season and are expected to be in the title race this year. Wilson will have a lot to do with that.
Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm (+350)
The Storm star got three of the four first-place votes that Wilson didn’t get last season. The two-time MVP rebounded nicely from the torn Achilles that cost her the 2019 season. She ranked third in points per game with 19.7, ninth in rebounds per game with 8.3, and fifth in blocks per game with 1.3. Her all-around game could help her take Wilson down to the wire, and Seattle is the odds-on favorite to win the title at +175.
Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics (+600)
Delle Donne is the WNBA’s other active two-time winner. The Mystics star won her second MVP award in 2019 but sat out of 2020 because of health concerns brought on by a preexisting condition amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Delle Donne was second to only Brittney Griner in points per game (19.7) the last time she played and led the league in player efficiency rating (24.1). She could remind the world just how amazing she is in 2021.
Sleepers
Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings (+1300)
Few players are as electric with the ball as Ogunbowale. The Wings star was last year’s scoring leader with 22.8 points per game. She averaged 19.1 points per game as a rookie and could get even better in 2021. Diana Taurasi is the only player in WNBA history who’s averaged over 25 points per game for a season, and Ogunbowale has the potential to become the second. The Wings will have to be better than last in the Western Conference for her to get serious consideration, though.
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx (+2000)
Collier finished fifth in last year’s MVP voting, and the 24-year-old forward put together a career year in her third season with the Lynx. She nearly averaged a double-double in 2020 with 16.1 points and 9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.3% from the field and 40.8% from deep. Collier also cracked the top six in steals (1.8) and blocks (1.3) per game. Her development is far from complete, and she could take another big leap in year three.
2021 WNBA MVP odds
2021 WNBA MVP odds
| Player | Odds 5/10 |
|---|---|
| Player | Odds 5/10 |
| A'ja Wilson | +300 |
| Breanna Stewart | +350 |
| Elena Delle Donne | +600 |
| Liz Cambage | +700 |
| Brittney Griner | +700 |
| Candace Parker | +800 |
| Jonquel Jones | +1300 |
| Arike Ogunbowale | +1300 |
| Diana Taurasi | +1500 |
| Courtney Vandersloot | +1800 |
| DeWanna Bonner | +2000 |
| Napheesa Collier | +2000 |
| Tina Charles | +2500 |
| Sylvia Fowles | +3000 |
| Chelsea Gray | +3000 |
| Natasha Howard | +3000 |
| Sabrina Ionescu | +3000 |
| Jewell Loyd | +3000 |
| Kayla McBride | +3000 |
| Nneka Ogwumike | +3000 |
| Kristi Toliver | +3000 |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | +4000 |
| Dearica Hamby | +4000 |
| Aerial Powers | +4000 |
| Myisha Hines-Allen | +6000 |
| Allie Quigley | +6000 |
| Chennedy Carter | +6000 |
| Tiffany Hayes | +6000 |
| Kelsey Plum | +6000 |
| Satou Sabally | +6000 |
| Diamond DeShields | +8000 |
| Kelsey Mitchell | +8000 |
| Erica Wheeler | +8000 |
| Betnijah Laney | +8000 |
| Ariel Atkins | +10000 |
| Sue Bird | +10000 |
| Jordin Canada | +10000 |
| Charli Collier | +10000 |
| Crystal Dangerfield | +10000 |
| Candice Dupree | +10000 |
| Aari McDonald | +10000 |
| Odyssey Sims | +10000 |
| Natasha Cloud | +10000 |
| Seimone Augustus | +20000 |
| Damiris Dantas | +20000 |
| Awak Kuier | +20000 |
| Chiney Ogwumike | +20000 |
| Cheyenne Parker | +20000 |
| Jasmine Thomas | +20000 |
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