University of South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley answers a question by moderator Dan Hughes during the University of Mount Union's Schooler Lecture speaker series April 23, 2025, in Alliance, Ohio. Kevin Whitlock / Massillon Independent / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dawn Staley's 'Funny Stuff' Stance About WNBA MVP Award Race Raises Eyebrows

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 3:41 PM ET

With less than a week left in the 2025 WNBA regular season, the race for the 2025 WNBA MVP award is shaping up to be extremely fascinating.

Heading into the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, there was no question that Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier was the frontrunner to secure her first MVP. She was the league's best player in the first half of the season, and her Lynx squad was (and still is) the league's best team.

However, many things have changed since that point. While the Lynx are still the No. 1 seed and Collier has been great when she has been on the court, she missed several weeks with an injury, and Minnesota is no longer the WNBA's hottest team.

That distinction goes to the Las Vegas Aces, who are currently riding a 14-game winning streak that comes on the heels of reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson reasserting herself as the league's most dominant player.

Not to mention that Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas is close to averaging a triple-double this season and is more than deserving of MVP consideration.

Therefore, this three-player race for WNBA MVP is sure to spark some hot takes — one of which has already arrived from Wilson's college coach.

Dawn Staley's A'ja Wilson WNBA MVP Stance Turns Heads

South Carolina Gamecocks legendary coach Dawn Staley was always going to be biased when it came to her WNBA MVP stance, given that she coached A'ja Wilson in college.

However, it's not her MVP endorsement from September 8 that's raising eyebrows, but rather the message she shared alongside it.

"As we wind down the @WNBA season, just would like to thank all the talented women who gave us a season of all seasons. If there’s truly no funny stuff in the air @_ajawilson22 really is the MVP. I’m biased but the historical numbers and run their on aren’t," Staley wrote in an X post on Monday.

As we wind down the @WNBA season, just would like to thank all the talented women who gave us a season of all seasons. If there’s truly no funny stuff in the air @_ajawilson22 really is the MVP. I’m biased but the historical numbers and run their on aren’t. pic.twitter.com/UR4MyDSJGj
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) September 8, 2025

Staley asserting that there might be some "funny stuff" at play if Wilson doesn't secure the WNBA MVP award is frustrating to some, given that both Collier and Thomas are deserving credit for the respective seasons they're producing.

Then again, Staley has never been one to shy away from criticism and is always willing to speak her mind, regardless of the feelings she might hurt in doing so.

It will be fascinating to see whether Staley's sentiment comes true over the next few weeks.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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