Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson has become the first five-time Most Valuable Player in WNBA history. The 30-year-old received 65 of 74 first-place votes and joins Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as five-time MVP winners across the NBA and WNBA; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the overall record with six.
Wilson learned of her third consecutive award from former US vice-president Kamala Harris via voice message while on the Aces' practice court, where she became emotional. "When you dream as a young girl, you dream so big and you write your goals out and you just never imagine you will be able to check them off," she said.
She averaged 26.2 points to lead the league in scoring for the third straight season, registered at least 20 points in 33 games and tied her own single-season record of 13 games with 30 or more points. The eight-time All-Star has won three titles with the Aces in the past four years.
With the Aces trailing the Golden State Valkyries 2-0 in their best-of-five semi-final, Wilson has asked for no pre-game ceremony. "I love the fans, but I will not be doing that," she said. "I will be warming up with my team."
Aces coach Becky Hammon praised Wilson's impact: "I just have to put her on a different planet."
