After another sensational season, A’ja Wilson has been named the WNBA’s MVP, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. This is the fourth time Wilson has won MVP, which is the most in league history.
Wilson led the WNBA with 23.2 PPG while shooting 51% from the field this season. She also dominated on the defensive end, leading the league with 2.3 blocks per game. Furthermore, Wilson averaged 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Wilson really made her charge for MVP after the All-Star break, leading the Aces to a league-best 19-3 record following the break. Las Vegas notably won 17 games in a row, but that winning streak was snapped by the Storm in the first round of the playoffs this past week.
The MVP race was a clear two-player race between Wilson and the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, who ranked second to Wilson in scoring with 22.9 PPG. However, Collier finished second in plus/minus, compared to Wilson at fourth, and Minnesota was the better overall team than Las Vegas this season. The Lynx finished as the No. 1 seed and first in net rating, whereas the Aces finished as the No. 2 seed, but just fifth in net rating.
For the final voting results for MVP, Wilson and Collier finished with 657 and 534 total points, respectively. Finishing third was the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas with 391 total points.
Collier was the favorite to win the MVP award for the majority of the season and it wasn’t until very late that odds started to shift toward Wilson. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Collier was favored to win MVP from May 27th all the way to Sept. 6th. Wilson opened with +200 odds to win the award and closed as a -550 favorite.
The Wilson vs. Collier MVP debate is a trendy topic among WNBA fans and there is a chance these two superstars face off in the WNBA Finals, which would be an outstanding matchup for WNBA fans. Currently on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lynx are the favorites to win the WNBA championship at -165 odds, while the Aces are second at +185.
