When Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was named MVP last season, she became the first player in league history to win the honor four times and joined Cynthia Cooper as the only players to go back-to-back. Now, Wilson is attempting to win her fifth MVP and become the only player to win the award three years in a row. Due to the 2026 FIBA World Cup, which will run from Sept. 4-13 in Berlin, the WNBA will pause from Aug. 31-Sept. 16.
And so, while there's more than a month until the regular season comes to a close on Sept. 24, there are just over two weeks of regular season action remaining. In terms of games played, the season itself is more than three-fourths complete. Wilson is the overwhelming favorite to win MVP (-1100, per FanDuel), ahead of Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles -- an even bigger favorite for Rookie of the Year -- and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
As the regular season winds down, let's take a closer look at the MVP race and answer three big questions. Simply put, Wilson is having a historic season. She's averaging 25.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and two blocks on 51.8/40.5/86.1 shooting splits.
Not only is she well on her way to a third consecutive scoring title, she's on pace to record the second-highest single-season scoring average ever, behind only her own mark of 26.9 points in 2024. Her 11 30-point games lead the league and are already tied for the fourth-most in a season. This would be just the second time in WNBA history that a player averaged at least 25 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a season.
The other was Wilson in 2024. Wilson also leads the league in blocks and is fourth in rebounds, and it should be no surprise that no other player is in the top four in the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Furthermore, the advanced stats love Wilson, who leads the league in both win shares (7.3) and RAPM (+5.7).
The reigning champion Aces have not been at their best since the All-Star break, but still sit in third place at 25-13 thanks in large part to Wilson, who has carried the team on both sides of the ball. Notably, she has scored more than one-fourth of the Aces' points this season -- 908 of 3,443, 26.4% -- and her on/off splits are staggering: Wilson's status as the reigning back-to-back MVP is impossible to ignore, but she's not coasting on her previous success. This is one of the best individual seasons in league history.
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