Nov 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Former NBA player and olympic athlete Lisa Leslie speaks during a DEI Summit ahead of the 2024 NWSL Championship match at Union Station. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Lisa Leslie Gets Clear About WNBA MVP Race

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 5:57 PM ET

Just a month or so ago, it seemed like Minnesota Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier was the obvious choice to win the 2025 WNBA MVP award.

This is not only owed to her Lynx team dominating the rest of the league to this point (their 30-7 record gives them a six-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Dream in the standings), but the fact that Collier was leading the league in point per game while also producing like a Defensive Player of the Year on that end of the court.

Collier then suffered an ankle injury in early August, which caused her to miss three weeks of action. Across that time, the Las Vegas Aces were busy rattling off a 10-game win streak (that's still active), which has skyrocketed them to the No. 3 spot in the WNBA standings.

And the Aces' recent success is largely owed to reigning MVP A'ja Wilson, who has gotten back to looking like the league's most dominant player.

Not to mention that Alyssa Thomas is also putting up insane numbers during her first season with the Phoenix Mercury, which makes her deserving of MVP consideration.

Lisa Leslie Gets Clear About 2025 WNBA MVP

All of this is to say that the WNBA MVP race seems up in the air right now. And this is the sentiment that women's basketball legend Lisa Leslie shared during an August 25 segment on CBS Sports' We Need to Talk show.

"Initially, I had Napheesa Collier running away with [the MVP award]... Then all of a sudden, you have A'ja Wilson, who just makes an amazing run. I mean, really close," Leslie said of the ongoing race. "And then Alyssa Thomas... the fact that she's almost averaging a triple-double... that is crazy business as well.

"The three of them at the top, I think, it's really tough. I think Collier may get it... She started where she left off. But A'ja Wilson is, I mean, wow. It's tough. I don't get to vote, y'all," she added.

Most would agree that the race is between these three superstars. However, some are convinced that Wilson has done enough over the past month or so (largely while Collier has been out) to make her the new favorite to win her second consecutive league MVP award and fourth overall.

The bottom line is that there are still a few more weeks left in the 2025 regular season, which could ultimately decide who wins MVP.

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

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