Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson won the WNBA Most Valuable Player award for a record fourth time on September 21, 2025. The honour moved her ahead of three-time winners Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.

Wilson had previously won in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Her latest selection also made her a repeat winner in consecutive seasons. Cynthia Cooper had achieved the same feat in the WNBA’s first two seasons, 1997 and 1998, so Wilson’s back-to-back result was historic but not the league’s first consecutive MVP run.

The 29-year-old centre led the league with 23.4 points and 2.3 blocked shots per game. For a second straight season, she averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal, a combination no other WNBA player had reached over a season of at least 15 games.

Wilson’s form helped transform the Aces’ campaign. After a 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2, Las Vegas won its final 16 regular-season games and secured the second seed for the playoffs. During that winning streak, Wilson averaged 26.1 points, 12 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Wilson’s boyfriend, Miami Heat player Bam Adebayo, surprised her with the trophy at practice before the public announcement. Wilson credited her teammates, saying the award carried her name but reflected the work of the full group.

Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier finished second for a second consecutive year with 534 voting points and 18 first-place votes. Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas placed third with 291 points and the remaining three first-place selections. Atlanta’s Allisha Gray and Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell completed the top five.

The result followed a season in which Collier had been the leading candidate before an ankle injury kept her out for three weeks in August. Wilson’s production during Las Vegas’s late surge strengthened her case as the Aces moved from the edge of the playoff picture to the No. 2 seed.

Wilson also shared the Defensive Player of the Year award with Minnesota’s Alanna Smith, giving her that honour for the third time in four seasons. She had been named Associated Press Player of the Year earlier in September.

Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon described Wilson as a player who continued to add new elements to her game. The fourth MVP established Wilson alone at the top of the league’s career list while her statistical performance and the Aces’ late-season recovery supplied the foundation for the 2025 vote.