Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson wins 2022 WNBA MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
A’ja Wilson just can’t stop winning.
Whether it’s the WNBA regular season, WNBA playoffs or the Olympics, the Las Vegas Aces center just keeps coming out on top. The same is true during WNBA awards season, as she just earned another honor for her trophy case.
Wilson was named the 2022 WNBA MVP on Wednesday, becoming the seventh player in league history to receive the award multiple times. She first received the honor in 2020 before finishing sixth in last season’s MVP race.
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Wilson ranked fifth in the WNBA with 19.5 points per game and second with 9.4 rebounds per game during the 2022 regular season. Her impact was just as great on the other end of the court, as she led the league with 1.9 blocks per game on her way to winning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She is the fifth player in WNBA history to win Defensive Player of the Year and MVP in the same season and first since 2007.
Voters gave the edge to Wilson over Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart on the ballot. Thirty-one of 56 first-place votes went to Wilson compared to 23 first-place votes for Stewart. Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker and Aces guard Chelsea Gray were the other two players to receive first-place votes.
Players earned 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 all, 17 players received a vote of any kind. Here is a look at how the top five shook out:
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces: 478 points
- Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm: 446 points
- Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces: 181 points
- Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun: 94 points
- Candace Parker, Chicago Sky: 78 points
Wilson helped lead the Aces tally a 26-10 record, which earned them the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs. Las Vegas eliminated the No. 8 Phoenix Mercury in the first round before beating Stewart, Sue Bird and the No. 4 Seattle Storm in the semifinals.
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The Aces will await the winner of Thursday’s decisive Game 5 between the Sky and Connecticut Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals, where Wilson will look to add another title to her resume: WNBA champion.
