The 2025 WNBA MVP has been fascinating, but as the regular season comes to a close on Thursday, there is one clear choice to win the award.
And it’s A’ja Wilson. Again.
Why Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is the WNBA MVP
Wilson, the three-time MVP, seemed light years away from a fourth at the midway point of the WNBA season.
The Las Vegas Aces, WNBA champions in 2022 and 2023, seemed miles away from title contention, too, as they hovered around .500 trying to find their groove after an offseason trade that sent one of the cornerstones, Kelsey Plum, to Los Angeles.
Wilson was a popular pick before the season, at least among those who didn’t predict Caitlin Clark to break out for the award. However, it didn’t take long for Napheesa Collier, star player of the Minnesota Lynx, to establish herself as the odds-on favorite to win her first WNBA MVP Award.
With one day left in the regular season, and one game each for Wilson and Collier, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the WNBA, who happens to be the best player on the best team, has seen her grip on the award loosened.
Minnesota, despite a loss to the Fever this week, without Caitlin Clark, boasts a 33-10 record, along with home-court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs.
The case for Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier to win MVP
Despite the oddsmakers, such as FanDuel, heavily favoring Wilson (-1100) compared to Collier (+600), with one game to go, Collier’s candidacy is legitimate.
Collier was the WNBA MVP runner-up in 2024. Just like the Lynx finished as the league runner-up to the New York Liberty.
Minnesota has been on a mission to change that, to win a championship, and has played like it. Collier has too. She’s been so good as a shooter that she’s a 3-for-5 night from three-point range from joining the 50-40-90 club
If Collier can hit that number, she would join Elena Delle Donne as only the second player in WNBA history to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range, and 90 percent from the free throw line.
That’s on top of Collier’s elite defensive ability, although she hasn’t been as dominant on that end of the floor this season. Her defensive win share was 3.7 last season and dropped to 2.6.
Collier deserves to be the WNBA MVP. Most seasons, she would have it locked down. Delle Donne won the award. No one would bat an eye if Collier did this season, especially with a strong finish on Thursday.
Wilson isn’t scoring as many points as she did in 2024. She’s not grabbing as many rebounds or blocking as many shots. Yet, for the fourth consecutive season, she’s shooting above 50 percent (50.5). She’s also shooting the three-point shot (39.3) better than she ever has.
Wilson is dishing out more assists, turning the ball over more, and getting fewer rebounds. However, her play during the Aces’ 15-game win streak has made it so none of that matters.
Wilson leads the WNBA in scoring. She leads the WNBA in win shares, and set the league record for the most 30-point games in a season (13). During the Aces’ 15-game win streak, she scored 30 points or more eight times. She became the first player in league history to score 30 points and get 20 rebounds in the same game. That was back in August.
The turnaround has been remarkable for Wilson and the Aces. Collier has been incredibly impressive. However, Wilson is the WNBA’s best player. She’s also the most valuable. Not even a historic season from Collier could change that.
