A’ja Wilson’s 2026 MVP run gets another boost

The August 23 X RealApp post pointed out Wilson is now just the second player in the WNBA to play 100 career regular-season games with 25 or more points after Diana Taurasi, who retired in 2025.

This isn’t Wilson’s only career achievement in the 2026 season. According to the Las Vegas Aces official website, the Aces center also won her 30th career Western Conference Player of the Week honor in June 2026. 

Per ESPN, Wilson has averaged 26.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game across 36 games of the 2026 regular season, further strengthening her chances of winning her fifth MVP title.

Wilson also leads the league in scoring (26.0 PPG) and blocks (2.0 BPG). She also boasts a high 52.1% field goal percentage and a career-best 40.7% from the three-point line. 

However, while Wilson remains a heavy favorite for winning the MVP title, one WNBA legend believes there is another promising challenger who is quickly catching up to Wilson.

Can A’ja Wilson win her third consecutive MVP title? 

According to CBS Sports Jack Maloney, Aces center A’ja Wilson’s MVP win is not yet set in stone. Both Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles have also emerged as challengers for the honor against Wilson.

“Wilson is likely going to win MVP, but there’s still just enough of the season remaining that she doesn’t have it completely locked up,” Maloney wrote in his August 21 CS Sports report.

He listed three possibilities that could possibly allow either Clark or Miles to surpass Wilson and push back her MVP run to 2027. 

Firstly, if Wilson suffered an injury that would sideline her for a couple of games, Clark and Miles would get an opportunity to move ahead.

In fact, this is the exact scenario that helped Wilson secure the MVP title last season. Although Napheesa Collier was the dominant favorite, an ankle injury late in the season led to Wilson eventually winning the title.

Alternatively, if the Aces suffer a fall from their No. 3 playoff seed, it could become a setback for Wilson.

“If the Aces fall apart down the stretch and slide into fifth or sixth place, that would be a big blow to Wilson’s campaign,” Maloney added.

However, he emphasized that, considering their 2026 run so far, the chances of the Aces fumbling are extremely low. In fact, Maloney suggested that the Aces could defeat the Golden State Valkyries and climb up to the second spot in league rankings.

Do you think A’ja Wilson will be able to defend her MVP title this season?