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A'ja Wilson snags a record fourth WNBA MVP

A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces has been named the 2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player. She won the MVP award for a record fourth time.
Harry How
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Getty Images
A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces has been named the 2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player. She won the MVP award for a record fourth time.

A'ja Wilson has done it again.

The star of the Las Vegas Aces has won the WNBA's most valuable player for 2025. Wilson has claimed the award a record fourth time. She had been tied with Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as the only three-time recipients.

An emotional Wilson thanked her teammates when she was surprised with the award. "It has my name on it," said Wilson. "But this one is all of us, y'all."

Wilson, in her eighth WNBA season, has sparkled. She finished in the top five in points, rebounds, blocks and steals. The WNBA says the center led the league in points per game (937) for the second straight season and in blocks per game for the fifth time. The seven-time All-Star shot 50% from the field, a career-high 42% from three-point range and 85% percent from the free throw line.

"I've admired the way you've led. With grace, humility, humor, and just one of the greatest players to ever be in this league," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. She called Wilson "a global icon and global ambassador," not just for the league but also for women's sports and all sports.

Last year, Wilson led Team USA to a record eighth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Summer Olympics (and also named MVP of that tournament).

Wilson's Aces continue their romp through the WNBA playoffs with a semifinal matchup that begins Sunday against the Indiana Fever.

Copyright 2025 NPR

As NPR's Southern Bureau chief, Russell Lewis covers issues and people of the Southeast for NPR — from Florida to Virginia to Texas, including West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. His work brings context and dimension to issues ranging from immigration, transportation, and oil and gas drilling for NPR listeners across the nation and around the world.