The 2024 WNBA season will begin on Tuesday, May 14, and the race for Most Valuable Player is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ones in league history.
Last year, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart beat out both Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson in what was the closest three-way MVP race in league history. With even more star-power across the ‘W’ this year, we should be in for yet another photo finish.
Here’s a look at the 2024 WNBA MVP odds at the start of the regular season, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Wilson (+120) enters the season as the favorite to win MVP for a third time in her career. The 6’4” forward put up career numbers in 2023, averaging 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game. While she didn’t win regular season MVP, she’d go on to take home Finals MVP as she led the Aces to a second straight championship last October. If Wilson does hoist the award this year, she’d join the elite group of Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson as the only three-time MVP’s in league history.
As a fellow two-time MVP, Stewart (+550) will also try to join that inner circle and she sits right behind Wilson on the odds board. Stewie was able to secure the award last year by averaging a career-high 23 ppg, pairing it with an average of 9.3 rebounds and a career-high 3.8 assists per game. Like Wilson, she will be heading up a stacked Liberty squad with high expectations to make it back to the WNBA Finals.
Meanwhile, Thomas (+1000) lurks right behind Wilson and Steward with the hopes of finally breaking through and earning the league’s highest honor. The veteran also had a career year in 2023, earning First Team All-WNBA honors by averaging 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists for the Sun. She actually received the most first-place votes for MVP, but finished seven points behind Stewart.
Immediately jumping out is Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark (+1200) entering the league with the fourth-shortest odds to win MVP. The No. 1 overall pick is coming off a storied collegiate career at Iowa and is the most hyped prospect to ever enter the WNBA ranks. It remains to be seen if she’ll come out firing from the field like she did in college, or if there will be a learning curve for her entering the professional ranks. She’s poised to form a 1-2 punch with 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, who should be a nice sleeper MVP pick at +6000.