A’ja Wilson Wins Her Fifth WNBA MVP
A’ja Wilson was named the 2026 WNBA Most Valuable Player on Thursday, her historic fifth MVP in nine professional seasons. The article contains no direct quotes, so none appear below.
A milestone in the record books
Wilson, a Columbia native and former South Carolina star, has now won MVP in 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. She has more MVP seasons than seasons without one.
Two records stand out:
- Last year she became the first player in WNBA history to win four MVPs.
- This year she became the first to win three in a row.
She also joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as the only basketball players to win five MVPs.
Her 2026 numbers
Wilson led the league in scoring for the third straight season at 26.2 points per game. Her full stat line:
- 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game
- 52.7% from the field, 40.4% from three and 86.4% from the free-throw line, each just short of a career high
- A career-high 38 made threes on 94 attempts
Consistency night after night
- She tied her own single-season record with 13 games of 30-plus points.
- She scored 20 or more points 33 times.
- She was named Western Conference Player of the Month in all four months of the season, the first player in league history to sweep those honors twice in her career.
Team success
The Las Vegas Aces finished 31-13, driven by Wilson’s play. They face the Golden State Valkyries in Game 3 of the WNBA Semifinals on Friday.
A long list of honors
Beyond the MVP awards, Wilson’s résumé includes:
- Eight-time WNBA All-Star
- Five-time All-WNBA First Team
- Four-time All-Defensive First Team
- Three-time WNBA champion
- Three-time Defensive Player of the Year
- Two-time Finals MVP
Her career began at South Carolina, where she helped coach Dawn Staley win the program’s first national title in 2017.
Why it matters
- She’s now in a category with all-time greats. Only three other basketball players have won five MVPs.
- Her dominance has been sustained. Three straight MVPs, three straight scoring titles and a sweep of monthly honors show an extended run rather than a single peak.
- She improved her game’s range. The career-high volume of threes shows she is still adding to her offense.
- The season isn’t over. Her next test is the semifinals, with the Aces facing Golden State on Friday.
About The Author
