Aces A ja Wilson becomes second unanimous MVP in WNBA history
Aces star A ja Wilson claimed her third career WNBA MVP Award and joined Cynthia Cooper as the only unanimous winners of the honor in league history
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LAS VEGAS -- Aces center A'ja Wilson became the second player in WNBA history to win the league's MVP as a unanimous choice Sunday, collecting all 67 first-place votes for 670 points from a media panel.
The only other unanimous MVP was Houston guard Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997.
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (467 points) finished second in the voting on 66 of the 67 ballots. New York's Breanna Stewart (295 points) received the other second-place vote and finished third overall.
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark (130 points) finished fourth, while Connecticut's Alyssa Thomas (83) rounded out the top five. Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.
"Hopefully when I look back and reflect, that definitely touches my heart," Wilson said Sunday of being a unanimous choice. "It means a lot, it really does."
Wilson previously won the MVP in 2020 and 2022. She was third last year in one of the closest MVP races in league history, finishing behind winner Stewart and runner-up Thomas. That lit a fire under an already super-competitive Wilson, who ran away from the field early this season and never let anyone catch up.
"That was kind of my mindset going into this year -- I didn't want to leave any doubt," Wilson said. "I needed to establish myself to say, 'This is what I'm working hard towards, and now it's time to showcase everything I've been working on.' "
Wilson became the first WNBA player to reach 1,000 points in a season, finishing with 1,021, while also setting the league record for rebounds in a season with 451.
"We always talk about, 'Make your teammate great, and then in the process you become the greatest,'" Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "A'ja is a great example of that -- just making everybody great around her. She's the greatest, because she's so authentically committed to that: pulling greatness out of other people.
"It's been fun to coach her. She's just a really, really gifted human being. I've kind of run out of adjectives. She's amazing. She's the best player in the world, and she's one of the best people in the world."
Wilson joins three other players in winning the MVP for the third time: forward Sheryl Swoopes (Houston), center Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) and forward/center Lauren Jackson (Seattle). All are retired and in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Wilson led the WNBA this season in scoring (26.9), blocks (2.6), player efficiency rating (34.9) and win shares (10.9). Her scoring average is the highest ever for a WNBA season, surpassing Diana Taurasi's 25.3 points per game in 2006.
Wilson's rebounding (11.9 per game), block and steal (1.8) averages also are career highs. She had two games this season with 40-plus points and nine others with 30 or more.
The 6-foot-4 Wilson scored at least 20 points in 89.5% of her games (34 of 38), also a WNBA single-season record.
Wilson led the Aces to the 2022 and 2023 WNBA championships, and she was WNBA Finals MVP last season. The No. 1 draft pick out of South Carolina in 2018, she was Rookie of the Year that season. Wilson turned 28 in August and won her second Olympic gold medal last month.
Las Vegas is the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and faces No. 5 Seattle in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round series Sunday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).
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["Tropical storm warning for Glynn County until early Wednesday evening? A tropical storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service on \nWednesday at 8:01 a.m. in effect until 4:15 p.m..","Glynn County under a tropical storm warning until early Wednesday evening? On Wednesday at 8:01 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a tropical \nstorm warning in effect until 4:15 p.m..","Update: Glynn County under a tropical storm watch until early Wednesday \nevening? The National Weather Service issued an updated tropical storm watch at \n11:08 p.m. on Tuesday in effect until Wednesday at 4 p.m..","Update: Tropical storm watch issued for Glynn County until early Wednesday \nevening? An updated tropical storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service \non Tuesday at 11:08 p.m. in effect until Wednesday at 4 p.m..","THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Pac-12's next gamble is with UNLV? Make a trip to Vegas, and it will be no surprise if you discover your fate \nin someone else's hands. Why shouldn't that be true at the","Graney: Don\u2019t call Mountain West defectors disloyal. That idea is dead? Call it what you want, but the decision by four schools to leave the \nMountain West for the Pac-12 last week had nothing to do with a lack of","Why UNLV should stay in the Mountain West for now? Remember, the goal is to get invited to be part of a lucrative league like \nthe Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 or Southeastern","UNLV Is the Next School That Could Cause Major Conference Realignment | \nBrett McMurphy? Brett McMurphy, ActionNetwork HQ joins 365 Sports to discuss his thoughts \non what's next in recent conference realignment news, what is the","Pac-12 expansion: UNLV and Nevada aren't a package deal if invitation \narrives for the Rebels, official says? UNLV would not be \u201cstructurally\u201d tied to Nevada in the event the Pac-12 \noffers membership to the Rebels during the second wave of its expansion \nphase,","LETTER: UNLV on the outside? I've read a lot regarding the Pac-12 bypassing UNLV. Many voices are \nindicating that UNLV was not selected because then UNR would also have","Hill: Las Vegas ban of Pac-12 could help secure UNLV\u2019s future? The Pac-12 should not believe it has access to the stadiums, arenas and \nmeeting rooms of Las Vegas without accepting UNLV into the","Risky coastal development expanding in face of climate change? With 73 days left in the Atlantic hurricane season, communities across the \nGulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard face risk of more storms like","Climate: Risky Coastal Development? With 73 days left in the Atlantic hurricane season, communities across the \nGulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard face risk of more storms like","Cities across the US are reducing risky floodplain development, but \nLouisiana and Florida remain outliers? New research shows that most U.S. towns have reduced or eliminated \nfloodplain construction through local practices like zoning changes, though \nsome states","Florida leads nation with half of residential floodplain development? Half of all residential development on flood-prone land in the U.S. over \nthe past two decades has been built in Florida. From 2001 to 2019,","Reducing floodplain development doesn't need to be complex, say researchers? A paper, titled \"How local governments avoid floodplain development through \nconsistent implementation of routine municipal ordinances,","Floodplain Development Largely Concentrated in Gulf Coast States? Many U.S. cities use 'routine' practices like zoning changes and permitting \nto discourage development in high-risk flood zones.","The US is finally curbing floodplain development, new research shows? Routine municipal practices\u201d are all it takes, but two problem states are \ndefying the trend.","Cities across the US are reducing risky floodplain development, but \nLouisiana and Florida remain outliers? New research shows that most U.S. towns have reduced or eliminated \nfloodplain construction through local practices like zoning changes, though \nsome states","U.S. Develops Over 2 Million Acres of Floodplain in 20 Years, Study Reveals? A study led by the University of Miami unveils extensive floodplain \ndevelopment across the United Sates in the last two decades,","Google Doodle Today: Honouring Oskar Picht, a German inventor behind the \nfirst braille typewriter | Today News? Google Doodle Today: Today's Google Doodle celebrates Oskar Picht, a German \ninventor behind the first typewriter for the blind. ;","Oskar Picht: The German Teacher and Inventor Celebrated by Google Doodle? Google has recently honored the life and contributions of Oskar Picht, a \npioneering German teacher and inventor, with a special Google","Google Doodle Celebrates Oskar Picht's Legacy in Typewriter and Braille \nInnovations? Today's Google Doodle marks the 123rd birthday of Oskar Picht, a notable \nengineer and inventor. Born in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1899,","Who is Oskar Picht? Why a Google Doodle is celebrating German teacher today? The life of Oskar Picht, a German teacher and inventor, is being celebrated \nwith a Google Doodle today, Monday 23 September 2024. For more","US Investigating SAP, Carahsoft for Potential Price-Fixing? German software developer SAP SE, product reseller Carahsoft Technology \nCorp. and other companies are being probed by US officials for","Big Tech IT Distributor Carahsoft Raided by FBI in Virginia? Federal agents on Tuesday searched the Washington-area offices of Carahsoft \nTechnology Corp., a major distributor of information technology","FBI raids government IT and cyber contractor Carahsoft? The FBI raided the Reston, Virginia headquarters of IT, software and \ncybersecurity services provider Carahsoft Technology Corp. on Tuesday,","FBI, DCIS raid Carahsoft headquarters? The FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service served a search \nwarrant at Carahsoft Technology Corp.'s headquarters in Reston,","Asam: I'm not aware of any criminal investigations into SAP at present, \nWe're cooperating with the DOJ.? Dominik Asam, CFO at SAP, calls for balanced regulation in AI, privacy, and \ndecarbonization, cautioning against over-regulation in Europe.","SAP faces probe in the US over alleged price fixing in government contracts? DOJ lawyers have been investigating SAP since 2022 to determine if the \ncompany illegally colluded with Carahsoft to set prices for SAP","FBI raids HQ of US govt IT giant Carahsoft? Virginia-based public sector IT services giant Carahsoft was raided Tuesday \nby US government agents. \"We can confirm that the FBI conducted","US Investigating SAP, Carahsoft for Potential Price-Fixing? German software developer SAP SE, product reseller Carahsoft Technology \nCorp. and other companies are being probed by US officials for","SAP stock falls on report of U.S. probe? SAP shares slumped on Wednesday after a report it's the target of a probe \ninto whether it and other companies overcharged U.S. government","FBI raids Reston office of government contractor Carahsoft? The FBI on Tuesday raided the Reston office of Carahsoft, an IT services \nand software government contractor with about 2000 employees.","Three years after Tropical Storm Fred, Haywood County urges preparation for \nHelene? Three years ago, Haywood County took the brunt of the remnants of Tropical \nStorm Fred. Since then, there have been lessons learned and","Getting ready just in case: towns and schools brace for hurricane? After watching their town ravaged by two \u201c100-year-floods\u201d in 2004, and yet \nanother 100-year flood with Tropical Storm Fred 17 years later","PHOTO GALLERY: Flood Prep in Canton ahead of the storm? Canton business owners are preparing for the worst with another tropical \nstorm headed toward the town. Long time business owners have","Canton businesses on the move ahead of the storm? ON THE MOVE \u2014 The basement at Bearwaters Brewing in Canton, which sits on \nthe Pigeon River, is filled with supplies and equipment that is","Hurricane, tropical storm watches issued for Florida ahead of possible \nCategory 3 hurricane? Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 is expected to strengthen into Hurricane \nHelene Wednesday and could be a Category 3 hurricane by landfall","Hurricane watch issued for Sarasota and Manatee counties? Hurricane and storm surge watches are in effect for the entire west coast \nof Florida, from the Big Bend to south of Naples as a disturbance","Heart Announces Additional 2025 North American Tour Dates Following Ann \nWilson's Cancer Diagnosis? On Monday, Sept. 23, Heart announced additional dates for The Royal Flush \ntour which will kick off in 2025. The tour will now include","HEART Adds More Shows To 2025 'Royal Flush' Tour? HEART has added more dates to its 2025 \"Royal Flush\" tour, including a \nsecond show in Las Vegas, a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New","Heart Adds More North American Dates? Two weeks after announcing their return to the road, Heart has added more \ndates to the \"Royal Flush Tour.\"","Iconic \u201970s rock band coming to Boston as part of new 2025 tour? Heart \u2014 known for its 1970s singles \u201cMagic Man\u201d and \u201cBarracuda\u201d \u2014 is going \nback on tour after postponing shows earlier this year, and will","How to get tickets to Heart\u2019s rescheduled \u2018Royal Flush Tour\u2019 dates? Heart has announced rescheduled tour dates for the \u201cRoyal Flush Tour\u201d and \nadded five additional dates. This comes after the postponement of","Heart reunion tour, featuring both Wilson sisters, coming to Foxwoods in \n2025? The postponed Heart tour, which reunites sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, will \nresume next year and has added extra dates, including one at","Heart announce more 2025 tour dates, playing Radio City Music Hall? Heart have added more dates to their 2025 Royal Flush tour, including a \nsecond night in Las Vegas, a NYC show at Radio City Music Hall on","KTIC 840 AM\/98.3 FM\/98.7 FM - Heart adds more dates to their Royal Flush \ntour? The five additional shows include a second concert in Las Vegas, plus dates \nin Toronto, Boston and New York. The Royal Flush tour was","Heart Announces More Dates for 2025 Tour? Band's Royal Flush performances keep expanding, adding to previously \nannounced rescheduled shows following Ann Wilson's treatment for cancer","Heart Announces More Dates for 2025 Tour? 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Update: Tropical storm watch issued for Glynn County until early Wednesday
evening? An updated tropical storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service
on Tuesday at 11:08 p.m. in effect until Wednesday at 4 p.m..
UNLV Is the Next School That Could Cause Major Conference Realignment |
Brett McMurphy? Brett McMurphy, ActionNetwork HQ joins 365 Sports to discuss his thoughts
on what's next in recent conference realignment news, what is theRisky coastal development expanding in face of climate change? With 73 days left in the Atlantic hurricane season, communities across the
Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard face risk of more storms like
Reducing floodplain development doesn't need to be complex, say researchers? A paper, titled "How local governments avoid floodplain development through
consistent implementation of routine municipal ordinances,
U.S. Develops Over 2 Million Acres of Floodplain in 20 Years, Study Reveals? A study led by the University of Miami unveils extensive floodplain
development across the United Sates in the last two decades,Who is Oskar Picht? Why a Google Doodle is celebrating German teacher today? The life of Oskar Picht, a German teacher and inventor, is being celebrated
with a Google Doodle today, Monday 23 September 2024. For more
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warrant at Carahsoft Technology Corp.'s headquarters in Reston,
US Investigating SAP, Carahsoft for Potential Price-Fixing? German software developer SAP SE, product reseller Carahsoft Technology
Corp. and other companies are being probed by US officials forGetting ready just in case: towns and schools brace for hurricane? After watching their town ravaged by two “100-year-floods” in 2004, and yet
another 100-year flood with Tropical Storm Fred 17 years later
Hurricane watch issued for Sarasota and Manatee counties? Hurricane and storm surge watches are in effect for the entire west coast
of Florida, from the Big Bend to south of Naples as a disturbance
Iconic ’70s rock band coming to Boston as part of new 2025 tour? Heart — known for its 1970s singles “Magic Man” and “Barracuda” — is going
back on tour after postponing shows earlier this year, and willKTIC 840 AM/98.3 FM/98.7 FM - Heart adds more dates to their Royal Flush
tour? The five additional shows include a second concert in Las Vegas, plus dates
in Toronto, Boston and New York. The Royal Flush tour was
PSG vs PNG LoL Worlds: Odds and Prediction September 25th? PSG is set to face PNG in the first LoL Worlds 2024. Check out betting odds
and predictions for this matchup.