By Amy Tennery and Angelica Medina (Reuters) -Las Vegas Aces centre A’ja Wilson won a record fourth WNBA Most Valuable Player award, and second in a row, on Sunday in one of the tightest ever races to cap an incredible revival that saw her team flip from playoff doubts to championship contenders. Wilson reached 657 […]
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Basketball-Wilson claims record fourth WNBA MVP award after Aces’ stunning turnaround
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By Amy Tennery and Angelica Medina
(Reuters) -Las Vegas Aces centre A’ja Wilson won a record fourth WNBA Most Valuable Player award, and second in a row, on Sunday in one of the tightest ever races to cap an incredible revival that saw her team flip from playoff doubts to championship contenders.
Wilson reached 657 points after receiving 51 of 72 first-place votes and 21 second-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier finished second with 534 points, followed by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas with 391 points.
“My team knows that this hasn’t been easy for us. They counted us out and wrote us off, but we showed up every single day. It has my name on it… but this is for all of us,” Wilson said in a video after receiving the award.
The win caps an incredible mid-season turnaround for the Aces – and Wilson’s chances at the MVP crown.
The 2022 and 2023 champions had a shaky 11-win and 11-loss record heading into the All-Star break, leading some to question whether they would even reach the postseason.
Instead, they roared back to win the final 16 games of the regular season in a row, as the Lynx’s Collier, who once appeared a certainty for the MVP nod, missed seven games with an ankle injury last month.
The turnaround added an intriguing twist to the MVP race that saw the 2018 Rookie of the Year confound the early predictions, emerging as the top scorer with 23.4 points per game, shooting an efficient 50.5% from the field.
The versatile two-time champion averaged 8.3 made field goals and 6.2 free throws per contest while posting a complete stat line of 3.1 assists and reaching an impressive 937 total points this season.
This marks the second straight year Wilson has finished as the league’s scoring champion, though her average dipped from 26.9 points per game from last year.
But Wilson’s excellence extended far beyond offence this season. Named co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside Lynx forward Alanna Smith, Wilson led the WNBA with 2.3 blocks per game, with 10.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals, demonstrating her all-around defensive impact.
The two-way player’s achievements this season include becoming the fastest player to reach 5,000 career WNBA points in just 238 games and setting the record for most 30-point games in a single season.
The 29-year-old veteran’s outstanding performance helped the Aces achieve a 30–14 regular season record, earning them the second seed in the playoffs.
“This isn’t done. We still got some work to do,” Wilson added, as the Aces, who beat the Seattle Storm in a contentious finale on Thursday, prepare to face an injury-depleted Indiana Fever in their next playoff round on Sunday, with championship aspirations firmly in their sights.
(Reporting by Amy Tennerry in New York, Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)