A’ja Wilson Wins Record Fifth WNBA MVP, and the GOAT Conversation Just Changed
There are records, and then there are moments that change how we talk about greatness. On Thursday, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson became the first five-time MVP in WNBA history. She’s also the first player in league history to win the award three seasons in a row.
That puts her in rare company. Across professional basketball, only a few names have reached five MVPs: Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Now add a 30-year-old Black woman from Columbia, South Carolina, who has spent her career being told, one way or another, to wait her turn.
The numbers behind the moment
Wilson didn’t just win. She dominated the vote, taking 65 of 74 first-place ballots. Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles finished a distant second.
Her stat line explains why. Wilson led the league in scoring at 26.2 points per game and added 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks. She shot 52.7% from the field and 40.4% from three. She became the first player in WNBA history to average 25 points while shooting 50% overall and 40% from deep. She’s also the first to lead the league in both scoring and blocks for three straight seasons.
Her MVP wins now span 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Add three championships (2022, 2023, 2025), two Finals MVPs and eight All-Star selections, and the résumé speaks for itself.
Why this hits differently
We’ve watched this play out before. A Black woman is excellent year after year, and the conversation keeps finding reasons to look elsewhere. Earlier this season, Lisa Leslie said some people simply get tired of seeing the same person win, and that the award should go to whoever earns it. Diana Taurasi, the league’s all-time leading scorer, put it more bluntly: how could you not call her the GOAT if she wins five?
Wilson has always understood that her platform reaches beyond the court. Her 2024 book, Dear Black Girls, was written for young women who see themselves in her: the girl who is too tall, too loud or too much, until she’s exactly enough. Five MVPs is the sequel nobody had to write, because she lived it.
No ceremony, just work
In true Wilson fashion, she turned down a pregame trophy ceremony so she could focus on tonight’s game. The Aces trail the Golden State Valkyries 0–2 in their best-of-five semifinal and face elimination at home in Las Vegas.
The trophy can wait. The legacy is already secure.
Also worth watching: the Atlanta Dream lead the New York Liberty 2–0 in the other semifinal. That means a Black women’s basketball story could be headed to the Finals either way.
