By Wanga Charma
Las Vegas Aces centre A’ja Wilson has experienced nearly a decade of basketball excellence in the WNBA.
Despite it being a relatively short athletic career thus far, Wilson’s achievements have already catapulted her into conversations around the greatest WNBA player of all time.
Indeed, her latest MVP award takes things into a whole new stratosphere.
Nothing new
Winning is not anything new to A’ja.
She has already won a national collegiate title and received numerous awards throughout her illustrious college career.
That stellar play meant she would be drafted first overall by the Aces in 2018 before going on to become an All-Star in her debut season as well as being named rookie of the year.
This was only the beginning of her dominance, though.
Two years later, in 2020, she won her first-ever WNBA most valuable player award at just 24 years old.
Wilson then won her first WNBA title and a Finals MVP award in 2022 – and she never looked back.
Four years on, she has won three more MVPs, two more titles and three defensive player of the year awards.
The Aces star has quickly become a living WNBA legend and taken that dominance up to an international level.
A two-time Olympic gold medallist, Wilson has also twice been crowned world champion with Team USA.
It would not be ridiculous to say that she is the greatest WNBA player ever, but what does the most recent MVP award do to her status as a global athlete?
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GOAT conversation
Reading the resume Wilson has put together in less than 10 years is nothing short of staggering.
She rightfully stands shoulder-to-shoulder with other all-time WNBA greats like Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, yet her fifth MVP means she’s now elevated to global stardom.
Popular sportswriter Bill Simmons commented that a fifth MVP is a feat that transcends sports.
“Nobody in the NBA has done this. Not one NBA player. No NFL player. Nobody,” he said.
Given that she is only 30 years old and not looking like she is slowing down, one can only wonder what her final career accolades and achievements will look like.
In 2024, Wilson signed a six-year contract extension with Nike, securing the richest shoe and endorsement deal for a women’s basketball player.
Later, in April of 2026, she signed a lucrative three-year $5 million supermax contract – the richest contract signed in WNBA history.
She has also racked up numerous ESPY awards for her sporting excellence and will no doubt hear her name called many more times.
With A’ja recently being awarded her third MVP in a row, she has become a global icon.
However, Wilson attributes her success and awards to her team-mates and is focusing on living in and enjoying the moment.
“I don’t take a moment on court for granted,” she stated, fighting tears.
“I don’t get this without each and every one of y’all.”
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