LAS VEGAS (AP) — A'ja Wilson fine-tunes her shooting touch following every practice. That little bit of extra work has defined her greatness since being drafted first overall in 2018.
On Thursday, she received a voice message from former Vice President Kamala Harris congratulating her on redefining greatness leaguewide after she was named WNBA MVP for a third straight year and for the fifth time overall.
“Obviously, that is an honor,” Wilson said. “A
woman of our history, and I'm so appreciative to be able to share that moment with her through the phone call and the message of her delivering that I won my fifth MVP.”
In addition to becoming the first player to three-peat, Wilson won the award in 2020 and 2022.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Aces owner Mark Davis and team president Nikki Fargas accompanied Wilson's mother, Eva, who presented her daughter with the trophy.
“Each one of these has not been taken lightly,” Wilson said, flanked by all five of her MVP trophies. “In my heart, they've always been so special. But this one here, I cried a little bit harder. This one here is just a little bit different, and whatever that may look like, or whatever that may feel, my fifth one, I think, is one that's just ... when you dream as a young girl, your dream so big and you write your goals out, and you just never imagine that you were able to just check them off.
“And when you’re able to check them off — small wins, big wins — it truly means a lot. And so I think that's why I cried a little bit harder on this one, because 15-year-old A'ja wasn't sitting up here dreaming about being a five-time MVP. She wasn't dreaming about being a three-time champion. She was dreaming about surviving this world.”
The 30-year-old Wilson once again led the league in scoring (26.2) while shooting nearly 53% from the field. She averaged 9.4 rebounds, a career-best 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks.
Wilson has the defending champion Aces back in the WNBA semifinals for the eighth consecutive season, although Las Vegas is down 2-0 in the best-of-five series against Golden State. Game 3 is Friday.
“This is great, I love it, not going to take for granted, shine her up, let's do it,” Wilson said. “But tomorrow, when it comes to hoisting it in front of the fans, I love the fans ... but I doubt I will be doing that. I'll be warming up with my team. ... Everyone in this room knows the competitor that I am. Everyone knows what my main focus is, and that is to get a game.”
Wilson received 65 first-place votes and nine second-place votes for a total of 713 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota’s Olivia Miles received six first-place votes and 40 second-place votes (442 points), while Indiana guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark followed with 287 and 212 points, respectively.
No WNBA player besides Wilson has more than three MVPs, with Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson each having a trio. On the NBA side, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had six and Michael Jordan and Bill Russell each had five.
“A’ja Wilson is one of one,” Fargas said. “She’s now standing in a category that no other WNBA player in the history of the league has accomplished. She’s in the conversations with the Michael Jordans and the Wayne Gretzkys of the world — where she belongs.”
___
Feinberg reported from New York.
___
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
