NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2026 – Las Vegas Aces center-forward A’ja Wilson has been named the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player, the WNBA announced today.

Wilson extends her WNBA record to five Kia WNBA MVP awards, adding to her honors in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025. She also becomes the first player in the 30-year history of the league to win the award in three consecutive seasons. Cynthia Cooper, the winner in 1997 and 1998, is the only other player to have earned the award in back-to-back seasons.

Wilson received 65 of 74 first-place votes and nine second-place votes (713 points) from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota Lynx rookie guard Olivia Miles (442 points; six first-place votes) finished in second place, followed by Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (287 points; two first-place votes) in third. Indiana guard Caitlin Clark (212 points; one first-place vote) finished fourth and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (171 points) was fifth.

Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.

In her ninth WNBA season, Wilson averaged 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocked shots and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes in 41 games. The 6-4 Wilson led the league in points per game for the third straight season and in blocks per game for the fifth consecutive season and the sixth time overall (2020 and 2022-26). She also paced the WNBA in efficiency rating (30.4).

Wilson’s 26.2 points per game this season rank second in league history, behind her own mark of 26.9 set in 2024. She has increased her career scoring average to 22.1 points, the highest figure in WNBA history. Wilson ranked second in total points this season (1,073), behind Kelsey Mitchell (1,086), and now owns four of the top seven single-season points totals in league history.

The University of South Carolina alum shot 52.7 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from three-point range and 86.4 percent from the free throw line, all the second-best marks of her career. She set career highs with 38 three-pointers made, 94 three-point attempts, 279 free throws made and 323 free throw attempts.

Behind Wilson, Las Vegas finished with a 31-13 regular season record and earned the No. 3 seed in the 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Wilson and the Aces will host the Golden State Valkyries tomorrow in Game 3 of their Semifinals series (9:30 p.m. ET on Peacock/NBCSN). Golden State leads the series 2-0.

In addition to her five Kia WNBA MVP honors, Wilson is an eight-time WNBA All-Star, five-time All-WNBA First Team selection, four-time WNBA All-Defensive First Team choice, three-time WNBA champion, three-time Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and two-time WNBA Finals MVP.

Additional highlights of Wilson’s 2026 season and career are listed below:

Led the league with 13 games of at least 30 points, tying her own WNBA single-season record (2025).
Recorded 33 games with at least 20 points, the third-highest single-season total in WNBA history, behind Mitchell’s 35 this season and her own 34 in 2024.
Scored 45 points against the Connecticut Sun on May 15, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record multiple games of at least 45 points in a career.
Finished the season ranked second in league history with 50 career games of at least 30 points, behind Diana Taurasi (54).
Posted a league-high 19 double-doubles of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, including two stretches of four straight such games – the longest streak in the WNBA this season (May 31 – June 8 and June 28 – July 12).
Recorded a league-high seven double-doubles of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, raising her career total to a WNBA-record 33.
Climbed to 11th on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list (6,792 points) after beginning the season 21st. Wilson is now 12 points from passing Sue Bird (6,803) for 10th

Wilson earned all four Kia WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month awards in 2026, becoming the first player in league history to sweep a conference’s honors twice in her career (she also did so in 2020). She was recognized as the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week a league-high five times (Weeks 1, 5, 10, 13 and 15).

In honor of being named the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player, Wilson will receive $60,000 and a trophy specially designed by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the voting results for the 2026 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player Award and a list of past recipients of the annual honor.

VOTING RESULTS: 2026 KIA WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD

Player (Team)
1st Place Votes
(10 Points)
2nd Place Votes
(7 Points)
3rd Place Votes
(5 Points)
4th Place Votes
(3 Points)
5th Place Votes
(1 Point)

Total Points

A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas)
65
9
0
0
0
713

Olivia Miles (Minnesota)
6
40
15
8
3
442

Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana)
2
12
25
17
7
287

Caitlin Clark (Indiana)
1
6
20
16
12
212

Breanna Stewart (New York)
0
7
11
14
25
171

Paige Bueckers (Dallas)
0
0
3
13
16
70

Angel Reese (Atlanta)
0
0
0
3
0
9

Rhyne Howard (Atlanta)
0
0
0
1
3
6

Shakira Austin (Washington)
0
0
0
1
1
4

Veronica Burton (Golden State)
0
0
0
1
0
3

Gabby Williams (Golden State)
0
0
0
0
3
3

Jackie Young (Las Vegas)
0
0
0
0
3
3

Jessica Shepard (Dallas)
0
0
0
0
1
1

 

KIA WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD WINNERS

1997 – Cynthia Cooper, Houston

1998 – Cynthia Cooper, Houston

1999 – Yolanda Griffith, Sacramento

2000 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston

2001 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles

2002 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston

2003 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle

2004 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles

2005 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston

2006 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles

2007 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle

2008 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles

2009 – Diana Taurasi, Phoenix

2010 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle

2011 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana

2012 – Tina Charles, Connecticut

2013 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles

2014 – Maya Moore, Minnesota

2015 – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago

2016 – Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles

2017 – Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota

2018 – Breanna Stewart, Seattle

2019 – Elena Delle Donne, Washington

2020 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas

2021 – Jonquel Jones, Connecticut

2022 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas

2023 – Breanna Stewart, New York

2024 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas

2025 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas

2026 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas

 

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