A’ja Wilson makes WNBA History with Third Straight player of the Year Award
A’ja Wilson has made WNBA history after being named the AP WNBA Player of the Year for a third consecutive season, becoming the first player to win the award three years in a row.
Wilson received 15 of 17 first-place votes from the AP’s national media panel, beating Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles and Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.
The Las Vegas Aces star had another outstanding regular season, leading the league in scoring at 26.2 points per game while averaging 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks. She also shot nearly 53% from the field.
“It’s big. It’s an honor for me to do it three times in a row. It’s not easy,” Wilson said. “My counterparts in this league are really good. I don’t take it lightly because of how much talent we do have in this league.”
The award is Wilson’s fourth AP Player of the Year honour overall. She has now moved past Breanna Stewart for the most since the award was introduced in 2016.
Angel Reese also had a major moment, taking AP Defensive Player of the Year after finishing third in the league in steals and leading the WNBA in rebounds for a third straight season.
Caitlin Clark was named Comeback Player of the Year after returning from an injury-hit 2025 season and playing all 40 games for Indiana. She averaged 22.3 points and 8.3 assists.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s Olivia Miles was a unanimous AP Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds in her first WNBA season.
The WNBA playoffs begin Sunday. Wilson and the Aces are among the teams chasing the championship.
