A'ja Wilson has won a record fifth WNBA MVP award, and she is now the first player in the league's 30-year history to win it three seasons in a row. The Las Vegas Aces star was named the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player on 8 October, adding to her wins in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Barely a day later, though, her season was over: the Golden State Valkyries beat the Aces 87-77 in overtime on 9 October to complete a 3-0 semi-final sweep.
That swing, from a historic individual honour to an early playoff exit, is why "A'ja Wilson" has been one of the top searches in the United States this week. Here is what happened, how the vote went, and what comes next.
A'ja Wilson MVP 2026: a record fifth award and first three-peat
According to the WNBA's official announcement, Wilson extends her own league record to five MVP awards. Before her, Cynthia Cooper (1997 and 1998) was the only player to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson each won it three times, but none won three straight, as USA Today noted.
Wilson, who turned 30 this year and is in her ninth WNBA season, also receives $60,000 and a trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. Her résumé now includes eight All-Star selections, three WNBA championships, three Defensive Player of the Year awards and two Finals MVP awards.
WNBA MVP voting results: how close was it?
It was not close. Wilson received 65 of 74 first-place votes and the other nine second-place votes, for 713 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. No voter ranked her lower than second.
The rest of the top five, per the league's official results:
• A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces): 713 points, 65 first-place votes
• Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx, rookie): 442 points, 6 first-place votes
• Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever): 287 points, 2 first-place votes
• Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever): 212 points, 1 first-place vote
• Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty): 171 points
Clark finishing fourth, behind a rookie, set off a wave of complaints from her fans online, as the Ledger-Enquirer reported. Clark finished the season in the top three in the league in scoring and assists.
A'ja Wilson stats this season
The WNBA says Wilson averaged 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals in 32 minutes across 41 games. She led the league in scoring for a third straight season and in blocks for a fifth straight season, and she topped the league in efficiency rating at 30.4.
Her 26.2 points per game is the second-highest mark in WNBA history, behind only her own 26.9 from 2024. Her career scoring average has climbed to 22.1, the highest in league history. She shot 52.7% from the field, 40.4% from three and 86.4% from the free-throw line, and set career highs with 38 three-pointers and 279 made free throws. Las Vegas went 31-13 and earned the No. 3 seed.
Why Wilson said no to her MVP ceremony
The Aces were already down 0-2 to Golden State when the award was announced, so Wilson received the trophy at a press event on Thursday rather than in front of fans. Asked about a pregame celebration before the must-win Game 3, she turned it down.
"I love the fans. Thank you so much, but I doubt I will be doing that," Wilson told reporters on Thursday, as reported by USA Today and others. "I'll be warming up with my team. Maybe my mom and dad can hold it, but I won't be there because everyone in this room knows the competitor that I am."
There was some history behind the decision. Last season, the Aces lost Game 1 of the semi-finals right after Wilson was presented with her fourth MVP, and this season they opened with a loss on the night they received their championship rings.
The acceptance speech that sparked a debate
Wilson's speech also drew attention. Fox News' OutKick quoted her as saying, "15-year-old A'ja wasn't sitting up here dreaming about being a 5-time MVP. She wasn't dreaming about being a 3-time champion. She was dreaming about surviving this world."
OutKick host Craig Carton criticised the line on his show, pointing to her private-school upbringing in South Carolina. Wilson has not publicly responded to that criticism. The episode shows how much attention the WNBA's biggest names now get, both praise and pushback.
Aces vs Valkyries Game 3: how Golden State finished the sweep
Game 3 in Las Vegas started well for the Aces, who led by nine at half-time behind Chelsea Gray's 15 first-half points. Then the Valkyries ran off 17 straight points in the third quarter while holding Las Vegas scoreless for more than seven minutes, according to the team's official recap.
The Aces fought back to force overtime, but Golden State outscored them 16-6 in the extra period and went 8-for-8 from the foul line. Gabby Williams hit a step-back jumper with 54.7 seconds left that effectively ended the Aces' title defence. Kayla Thornton led Golden State with 18 points, Williams added 16, and Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes scored 11 each, with Stokes going a perfect 5-for-5 for a double-double.
Wilson had scored 24 points in each of the first two games but shot 17-of-37 across them, as the WNBA's series preview noted. Las Vegas had won three of the previous four championships.
What's next: Valkyries vs Dream in the WNBA Finals
Golden State, in only its second season, reaches the WNBA Finals for the first time. It will have home-court advantage against the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream, led by Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese, who swept the New York Liberty. Game 1 is on 17 October at Chase Center in San Francisco, and neither franchise has won a title before.
For Wilson, the offseason starts earlier than she wanted. But with five MVP awards at 30 and the highest career scoring average in league history, her place among the greatest players in women's basketball is no longer much of a debate.
Sources: WNBA official MVP announcement (8 Oct 2026); ESPN; AP; USA Today; Golden State Valkyries official game recap (9 Oct 2026); Ledger-Enquirer; Fox News/OutKick.
Cover photo: A'ja Wilson vs. Napheesa Collier, 8 August 2026, by John McClellan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.