Aces' A'ja Wilson wins 5th WNBA MVP, says no to pregame ceremony - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — Aces center A'ja Wilson won a record fifth WNBA Most Valuable Player award for the 2026 season, becoming the first player in league history to win three straight MVPs.

This one, Wilson said, made her cry a bit harder.

«This one here is just a little bit different,» Wilson said Thursday afternoon, just moments after commissioner Cathy Engelbert handed Wilson a phone with a message from former Vice President Kamala Harris delivering the news.

«As a girl, you dream so big, and you write your goals out, and you just never imagine that you will be able to check them off.… That's why I cried harder on this one because 15-year-old A'ja wasn't sitting up here dreaming about being a five-time MVP. She wasn't dreaming about being a three-time champion. She was dreaming about surviving this world. So for me to sit up here surrounded by these trophies… it means a little bit more to me.»

Wilson received 65 out of the 74 first-place votes and nine second-place votes. Lynx rookie guard Olivia Miles (442 points; six first-place votes) finished second, followed by Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell (287 points; two first-place votes) in third and Caitlin Clark (212 points; one first-place vote) in fourth. Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (171 points) was fifth.

The Aces will hold a pregame ceremony to honor Wilson's achievement Friday, when the team will try to extend its season at home against the Golden State Valkyries in Game 3 of their semifinals series.

Typically, an MVP winner will be honored at a pregame ceremony, during which they stand center court to receive their trophy in front of the fans. The Aces have struggled after these types of ceremonies, dropping Game 1 of the semifinals last season against the Fever after