A'ja Wilson won her fifth Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the WNBA this week, setting a new record as the league's first player to win three consecutive MVP titles. This achievement places her among basketball legends like Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie, who previously held the record for most MVP awards with four each. Wilson’s 2026 season saw her leading the league in scoring with 26.2 points per game and setting a new blocks record with 79. Coach Becky Hammon praised Wilson's unprecedented dominance, likening her to an entire planet of basketball greatness.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A’ja Wilson won the WNBA Most Valuable Player award for a third consecutive year and fifth time overall in 2026. The 30-year-old forward led the league with an average of 26.2 points per game, shooting nearly 53% from the field, while also averaging 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 blocks. With her latest MVP win, Wilson becomes the first player in WNBA history to three-peat, surpassing previous leaders like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson who each won three MVPs. The Las Vegas Aces' star also helped lead her team back into the semifinals for the eighth consecutive season despite them currently trailing 2-0 against Golden State in their best-of-five series. Becky Hammon, Wilson’s coach, emphasized that sustained success at this level showcases more than just raw talent but a combination of skill and perseverance.
Written for “WNBA MVP Award Wilson” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
On Thursday, A’ja Wilson added another line to her already lengthy basketball resume, reaching yet another level of WNBA greatness by becoming the league’s first five-time MVP.
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Wilson → add → MVP
The Las Vegas Aces superstar has claimed the coveted trophy for a third consecutive season, becoming the first player in league history to win three straight MVP awards.
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superstar → claim → awards
It marks her fourth MVP title in the past five years.
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It → mark → years
Aces coach Becky Hammon believes Wilson’s résumé already places her among the greatest players in basketball.
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résumé → believe → basketball
In addition to her WNBA accomplishments, Wilson won an NCAA Division I national championship at South Carolina.
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Wilson → win → Carolina
"(As) I said, take her off Mount Rushmore — she’s Everest," Hammon said earlier in the playoffs.
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Hammon → say → playoffs
"Now I’m taking her off Everest, and I have to put her on a different planet.
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I → take → planet
She just has all of it."
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She → have → it
Hammon also emphasized that talent alone does not guarantee the kind of sustained team and individual success Wilson has achieved. "Because you can be a really talented and skilled basketball player and not win as much as she has, and not become as individually great as she has."
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she → emphasize → much
Wilson may not have put together the most statistically impressive season of her career, but she remained dominant across the board.
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she → put → board
Her 26.2 points per game led the WNBA in scoring, while her 79 blocks were also a league high.
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blocks → lead → scoring
She ranked among the league’s top five rebounders in rebounds per game during the regular season.
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She → rank → season
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese led the WNBA with 12.1 rebounds per game and was named the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
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Reese → lead → Year
Other notable former WNBA players with multiple MVP awards
When Wilson won her fourth MVP award in 2025, she broke a tie with Hall of Famers Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson for the most MVP trophies in WNBA history at the time.
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she → win → time
The three standout players largely traded the award between 2000 and 2010, winning every MVP except in 2008, when Candace Parker claimed the honor, and 2009, when Diana Taurasi won.
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Taurasi → trade → 2008
In NBA history, only three players have been awarded at least five MVPs: Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan.
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players → award → MVPs
"If you’re able to set a standard, if you’re able to rewrite things, and kind of etch yourself into history books, it means a lot," Wilson said at a news conference in Las Vegas on Thursday.
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Wilson → ’re → Thursday
"I’m so grateful that I can share these moments with so many different people.
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I → ’m → people
But it’s always fun when you’re able to set the standard, and give people and yourself something to chase after.
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you → ’ → something
Wilson was the overwhelming MVP choice, receiving all but nine of the first-place votes.
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Wilson → receive → votes
Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles finished second with six first-place votes, followed by Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell with two.
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Miles → finish → two
Mitchell’s teammate, Caitlin Clark, received the remaining first-place vote and finished fourth.
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teammate → receive → vote
A’ja Wilson’s latest challenge is guiding the Aces through unprecedented territory.
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challenge → guide → territory
They would have to become the first team in WNBA history to erase a 2-0 deficit against the Golden State Valkyries and win a best-of-five playoff series.
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They → have → series
If Wilson leads the comeback, it would further cement her place in basketball lore.
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it → lead → lore
Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night as the series shifts to Las Vegas.
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series → schedule → Vegas
The Aporia
