A'ja Wilson wins AP WNBA Player of the Year for 3rd straight year; Angel Reese top defensive player

A'ja Wilson is in a class by herself, winning the AP's WNBA Player of the Year award for an unprecedented third straight year.

Wilson received 15 of the 17 first-place votes from a national media panel Sunday. She topped Olivia Miles of Minnesota as well as Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, who all had stellar seasons.

"It's big. It's an honour for me to do it three times in a row. It's not easy," Wilson said in a phone interview. "My counterparts in this league are really good. I don't take it lightly because of how much talent we do have in this league."

It's the fourth time that Wilson has won the AP award, breaking a tie with Breanna Stewart for most since the awards were first given in 2016.

"That's got a nice ring to it," Wilson said. "That's pretty cool."

The AP voting is done by a 17-member panel that votes on the power poll each week. It's the 11th year of the awards.

The WNBA will announce its post-season awards over the course of the playoffs, which begin Sunday. Wilson is a huge favorite to win the WNBA MVP for the third straight season.

Wilson once again led the league in scoring (26.2) while shooting nearly 53 per cent from the field. She also averaged 9.4 rebounds, a career-best 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks.

Angel Reese dethroned Wilson as the AP Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson had won the award in three of the last four seasons.

Reese made the most of her move to Atlanta this off-season. She was third in the league in steals and had the versatility to guard most positions defensively. She also topped the league in rebounds for the third consecutive season.

Miles had an incredible first season and was honored as the AP Rookie of the Year as a unanimous choice. The No. 2 pick in the draft by