Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson made history on Sunday when she became the first player in WNBA history to win the league's MVP award four times.
Wilson beat Minnesota Lynx forward and erstwhile MVP favorite Napheesa Collier in a close vote, 657-534. Collier was arguably the best player in the league from start to finish, but Wilson finished stronger and played some of the best basketball ever in the last weeks of the season to turn the tide and win the award.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon gave Wilson her flowers after WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert and A'ja's beau, Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo, brought the MVP trophy to the team's facility for the impromptu awarding ceremony.
"People talk about who's on your Mt. Rushmore. She's on the Mt. Rushmore, but she's also Everest. She's at the peak and ain't nobody else is up there. She's the only one," said Hammon. "This is four times. I said it earlier to the NBA. If you're the best in the 'W' to ever do it, which obviously you are, it also makes you the best person on the planet and the best player on the planet,"
Not only is Wilson the first four-time MVP in WNBA history, but she is also the first back-to-back MVP winner since Cynthia Cooper in 1997-98. She also joins NBA legends Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James as the only players to win the NBA or WNBA MVP award four times before reaching the age of 30.
And after being named co-Defensive Player of the Year award earlier in the week, Wilson also joined Sheryl Swoopes as the only players in the history of the "W" to win the MVP and DPOY in the same season twice. What's stunning here is that A'ja accomplished this in just her 8th season, and she is only 29 years old.
While Collier's 50-40-90 season and her Lynx's best record in the league gave her a strong case, too, there was no doubt who was the most dominant player in the WNBA in 2025. Wilson led the league in points, points per game, total rebounds, blocks per game, Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares, Offensive Win Shares, Defensive Win Shares, and Defensive Rating.
Wilson was asked about her four MVP awards after the surprise presentation, and she said the first time she won it at the Bubble felt awkward because it was a different space and not everyone was there. When she won it again in 2022, Wilson said it got her going and made her feel that she belonged at the level of elite players.
Last year was special because A'ja had an incredible season and won the award unanimously. The fourth one is pretty different, according to her.
"And then this one here, it's special because I felt I couldn't win an odd year, so it's pretty dope to have one in an odd year, but also the things that we went through as a team. Like everyone counted us out. No one expected us to be where we are today, and we showed up and we're here continuing to show out for each other. So this one is pretty special because this one is definitely like my team. I give this one to my team."
The Aces were counted out early in the year, but behind A'ja, they finished as the No.2 seed in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs. Wilson had a monster Game 3 to help Las Vegas advance to the semifinals.
Although they were stunned by a hungrier Indiana Fever in Game 1 on Sunday night, after A'ja was formally presented her fourth MVP trophy, it's still a Best-of-Five series and the Aces are still favored to pull it off.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
