A'ja Wilson Wins Third Straight WNBA MVP, Fifth Overall

A'ja Wilson runs extra shooting drills after every practice, a habit she has kept since the Las Vegas Aces drafted her first overall in 2018. On Thursday that routine paid out again: the WNBA named Wilson its Most Valuable Player for the third straight season and the fifth time in her career, The Associated Press reported via Al Jazeera.

The number behind the award: 26.2 points per game, a league-leading mark Wilson posted while shooting nearly 53 percent from the field this season, according to the AP. She also averaged 9.4 rebounds, a career-best 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. The trophy makes Wilson the first player in WNBA history to win three consecutive MVPs, and it arrives as her Aces trail the Golden State Valkyries 2-0 in a best-of-five semifinal series, with Game 3 set for Friday.

How does this MVP compare to Wilson's first four?

Wilson's career MVP ledger now reads 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026, spanning a run in which she has also won three WNBA championships, the AP noted. The latest trophy was presented at Aces practice facilities with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Aces owner Mark Davis and team president Nikki Fargas on hand. Wilson's mother, Eva, handed her daughter the trophy, a detail Wilson said made the moment different from her first four wins.

"Each one of these has not been taken lightly," Wilson said, according to the AP. "In my heart, they've always been so special. But this one here, I cried a little bit harder."

Who reached out to congratulate her?

Former Vice President Kamala Harris left Wilson a voice message congratulating her on the award, the AP reported. "Obviously, that is an honour," 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."

"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." — A'ja Wilson

What does the three-peat mean for WNBA MVP voting history?

No player had won three straight MVPs before Wilson, according to the AP's reporting on the award. The league has handed out the MVP honor since 1997, and Wilson's five total wins put her ahead of any other player in the award's history on a per-count basis among active and former WNBA MVPs referenced in the AP account. The recognition lands in the same week the Aces are fighting to keep their season alive, a juxtaposition Wilson addressed directly when asked about celebrating during a playoff deficit.

Wilson's 2026 Season by the Numbers

• 26.2 points per game — led the WNBA
• 52.9% (near) field-goal shooting
• 9.4 rebounds per game
• 3.2 assists per game — a career high
• 1.9 blocks per game
• 8th consecutive season the Aces have reached the WNBA semifinals with Wilson on the roster
• 2-0 Golden State's series lead entering Game 3

What happens next for Wilson and the Aces?

Game 3 of the semifinal series against Golden State tips off Friday with Las Vegas facing elimination if it drops the contest, per the AP report. Wilson said the MVP ceremony would not distract from that task. "This is great. I love it, not going to take for granted, shine her up, let's do it," Wilson said, according to the AP. "But tomorrow, when it comes to hoisting it in front of the fans, I love the fans, … but I doubt I will" dwell on the trophy, she added, signaling the Aces' focus has shifted to survival in the series rather than the individual honor.

The defending champion Aces have now reached the WNBA semifinals in eight consecutive seasons with Wilson anchoring the frontcourt, a stretch that began the year she entered the league as the No. 1 draft pick. Whether that streak extends to a fourth title will be decided on the floor in Game 3, not at a trophy ceremony — a point Wilson made clear in her own comments to reporters Thursday.

For readers following other franchises navigating turnarounds this fall, the Knicks' run to end a title drought generated its own ticket rush, detailed in HTT's coverage of the team's single-game ticket release.