WNBA Announces Historic A’ja Wilson News on Thursday

Credit&colon; Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

WNBA Announces Historic A’ja Wilson News on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Elie Deglaoui | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 3:46 PM ET

The Las Vegas Aces once again finished the WNBA regular season as one of the top teams in the league, and on Thursday, they will look to defeat the Seattle Storm in a decisive Game 3 to advance to the semi-finals.

Las Vegas has made the playoffs every year since 2019, winning two championships in three finals appearances. They have been one of the most successful teams in the league in recent years, and a big reason for that is the presence of A'ja Wilson, who continues to establish herself as one of the best players in the WNBA today.

The South Carolina native is the reigning WNBA MVP, and according to BetMGM, she has the second-best odds to win the award again this year, only behind Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier. If Wilson is named MVP once again, it would be her fourth time earning the honor, which would be a WNBA record.

Regardless of what happens in the MVP race, the Aces star already made league history on Thursday as she and Alanna Smith of the Lynx were named co-Defensive Players of the Year, making this the first time a major WNBA award has ever been shared.

This is the first time in league history DPOY has been a shared award. https://t.co/9WxqEUWbDp
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) September 18, 2025

While not entirely unheard of, it is incredibly rare for two players to win the same award during a season in any league, and this is no different in the WNBA or in the NBA.

In a separate post, the official WNBA Communications X account revealed that, technically, there are two other instances where two players won the same award, but both times they were for the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, once in 2011 (Sue Bird and Ruth Riley) and again in 2013 (Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash).

Furthermore, this has happened twice in the NBA when the Rookie of the Year award was shared in 1995 (Jason Kidd and Grant Hill) and 2000 (Steve Francis and Elton Brand).

Milestone Alert: For the first time in WNBA history, a key individual award ended in a tie — something that has never happened before for Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, or Sixth Player of the Year.…
— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) September 18, 2025

A'ja Wilson Remains a Key Part of the Aces' Success

Regardless of the fact that she made WNBA history on Thursday, Wilson has her eyes set on the playoffs, where she and the Aces will aim to win their series against Seattle.

Las Vegas has yet to return to the WNBA Finals since winning it all in 2023, but in large part due to Wilson, they have a chance to make it back this year. In order for them to do so, however, they will need the 29-year-old to bring her A-game. Fortunately for the Aces, Wilson has given them reason to believe she will do exactly that.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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