Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson earns fifth WNBA MVP, first to three-peat

Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson earns fifth WNBA MVP, first to three-peat.

Key points

• Wilson – who turned 30 this year – won her first MVP in 2020, then asserted the award again in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
• The Las Vegas Aces star won the award for the fifth time overall, receiving 65 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
• Her latest trophy comes after a back matter caused her to miss national duties for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in September.
• The Columbia, South Carolina, native already had the record for most MVP's in league history with four.

Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson earns fifth WNBA MVP, first to three-peat. Callie Fin USA TODAY. The first MVP three-peat in WNBA history belongs to A'ja Wilson.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Aces star won the award for the fifth time overall, receiving 65 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

She led the league in scoring (26.2 points per game) and blocks (9.4 per game) this season as she powered her team to the playoffs in the eighth-straight postseason appearance of her career.

This is pretty solidified in a bunch of different ways. I'm not satisfied, but I am so grateful and I'm so blessed to be able to do what I do, Wilson remarked when asked concerning previously saying she wants a Bill Russel-like legacy. Yes, my resume, hopefully continues long and I love this, but I don't want to lose fun and the joy of this game.

"I'm grateful to be able to have my name alongside of other greats that played all different kind of sports. Just to say that you're one of the greats, I think it just goes a long way in itself."

Meanwhile, the Columbia, South Carolina, native already had the record for most MVP's in league history with four. Only one other WNBA player had won the award in back-to-back seasons: Cynthia Cooper (1997, 1998). Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson all won MVP three time, but none won in three straight seasons.

Wilson's list of elite firm expands beyond the WNBA. Only three NBA players have won three-straight league MVPs: Larry Bird (1984-1986, Boston Celtics), Bill Russell (1961-1963, Boston Celtics) and Wilt Chamberlain (1966-1968, Philadelphia 76ers).

Her latest trophy comes after a back matter caused her to miss national duties for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in September. Aces coach Becky Hammon described it as a difficulty that lingered even after the FIBA break and kicked off "way before" it. Wilson additionally dealt with a leg injury, missing three regular-season games total.

When she became the first player in WNBA history to score 1, 000 points in a season, despite those ailments, Wilson came close to the scoring, rebounding and blocking numbers she put up in the 2024 campaign.

For context, the Aces were eliminated in the playoffs by the New York Liberty that season, leading Hammon to lament that the team couldn't create her stellar campaign worth something.

This year, Wilson became the only player in WNBA history to score 1, 000 points in a season twice, and the Aces are in pursuit of a fourth WNBA title in five years, with Game 3 of the team's best-of-five semifinals series against the Golden State Valkyries set to tipoff on Friday. A'ja Wilson career awards. The other accolades on Wilson's decorated professional resume include. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, las Vegas Aces Aja Wilson earns fifth WNBA MVP, first to three is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.