A’ja Wilson wins record fifth WNBA MVP as Aces face semifinal elimination

A’ja Wilson has won the 2026 WNBA Most Valuable Player award, the league announced on 8 October, becoming its first five-time winner. The Las Vegas Aces star takes the honour into a home playoff game on 9 October with her team trailing the Golden State Valkyries 2-0 in their best-of-five semifinal. Las Vegas must win Game 3 to stay in the series.

Wilson also becomes the first player in the WNBA’s 30-year history to win three consecutive MVP awards. She previously won in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Cynthia Cooper, who won in 1997 and 1998, is the only other player to have won the award in successive seasons, according to the WNBA.

How A’ja Wilson won the 2026 MVP vote

Wilson received 65 of the 74 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She was placed second on the other nine ballots and finished with 713 points. Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles was runner-up with 442 points and six first-place votes. Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell finished third on 287 points, followed by her teammate Caitlin Clark on 212 and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart on 171.

The vote gave 10 points for first place, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth. Wilson’s nine second-place votes meant every voter ranked her in the top two. The voting margin reflects the breadth of support for her season, while the league’s published totals show how the other leading candidates placed.

The scoring and defensive numbers behind Wilson’s award

Her impact also extended to defence: Wilson led the league in blocks per game for a fifth consecutive season. The WNBA said she led its efficiency rating at 30.4. She scored at least 30 points in 13 games, matching her own single-season league record, and reached 20 points in 33 games. Those totals help explain an award won by a substantial voting margin.

Wilson shot 52.7% from the field, 40.4% from three-point range and 86.4% from the free-throw line. The WNBA described each as the second-best mark of her career. The league also said she finished the season with 1,073 total points, second to Mitchell’s 1,086, despite leading on points per game. The distinction matters when comparing a scoring average with a season total.

Why Wilson plans to miss the MVP ceremony

Las Vegas went 31-13 in the regular season and entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. The Aces have won three championships in the past four years, but Golden State has won the first two games of this semifinal. The WNBA scheduled Game 3 in Las Vegas for 9:30 p.m. Eastern time on 9 October. The MVP award recognises Wilson’s regular-season performance; it does not change what the Aces need from the next game.

BBC Sport reported that Wilson plans to skip a ceremony marking the MVP award before Game 3. ‘I love the fans, but I will not be doing that,’ she said, adding that she would warm up with her team. BBC Sport said the Aces lost a playoff semifinal game after an MVP ceremony for Wilson last year and also lost after a championship-ring celebration in May. Wilson described her focus as preparing for the game.

The award still prompted an emotional response. BBC Sport reported that Wilson received the news in a voice message from former US vice-president Kamala Harris and cried on the Aces’ practice court. Wilson said that, at 15, she had not imagined becoming a five-time MVP or a three-time champion. Aces coach Becky Hammon praised her place in the sport, saying her earlier comparisons to ‘Mount Rushmore’ and ‘Everest’ no longer went far enough.

What comes next for the Aces

The WNBA says Wilson will receive $60,000 and a trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. for the MVP honour. The immediate sporting question is whether Las Vegas can extend its semifinal against Golden State. At the time of the award announcement and BBC Sport’s report, Game 3 had yet to be played. The scheduled ceremony and Wilson’s stated intention to miss it should therefore be understood as plans, while the result of the game remains open.