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A'ja Wilson led the WNBA again in 2025, winning an unprecedented fourth MVP title as her Las Vegas Aces captured their third championship in four seasons.
For this, she was recognized as the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for the first time in her career. This is the second year in a row that a basketball player has received the award after Caitlin Clark was awarded the award in 2024.
“It’s an honor to think about a group of women who have won before,” Wilson said in a phone interview. “I’m happy that my name is part of it.”
Wilson is only the fifth basketball player to be named Female Athlete of the Year since it was first awarded in 1931, joining Cheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Candace Parker (2008, 2021) and Clark.
A panel of 47 AP sports journalists and affiliates voted. Wilson received 17 votes, tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was second with nine and Paige Bueckers third with five.
“What she did on set had never been done. She belongs in a category of her own in my opinion,” A's coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson. “People always ask, who’s on your Mount Rushmore? I say she’s on Everest – there’s no one near her.”
On Tuesday, Shohei Ohtani was named AP Athlete of the Year for the fourth time.
In her four years coaching in Las Vegas, Hammon has been impressed with everything about Wilson.
“Her relatability, her down-to-earth personality makes her a great superstar,” Hammon said. “Her skill set is unmatched, but she is also the easiest player to coach. To have that combination of humility, grace and skill, there's a reason why she does things that have never been done before.”
This season has turned out differently for Wilson and the Aces, who entered their previous two titles as heavy favorites. This year, with a month left, the Aces were .500 and in danger of missing the playoffs after a record 53-point loss to Minnesota.
Wilson rallied her team and won the final 16 games of the regular season, securing second place and Las Vegas winning the championship.
“This season I went through all the hardships and mud that we had to go through,” she said.
A'ja Wilson scored a game-high 31 points as the Las Vegas A's defeated the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 to capture their third WNBA title in four seasons.
Even though her numbers were on par with her unanimous MVP season the year before, Wilson heard talk that she wasn't playing as well and that she wasn't the favorite to repeat as the league's MVP.
The 29-year-old used it as fuel on the court. She led the league with 23.4 points and 2.3 blocks per game.
“The way they talk about us, the way they talk about me, I'm ready for it, I'm ready for the noise,” Wilson said. “There will always be something. If we sit here and try to please everyone, we'll go crazy. I will just continue to prove why I am one of the greatest and why my team is part of a dynamic dynasty.”
Wilson further elevated her play in the playoffs, helping the Aces survive the winner-take-all playoffs in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She then helped Las Vegas defeat Phoenix in the WNBA Finals with the game-winning shot in Game 3.
“It's fair to say that the expectations for her are so high now that she will be compared to some extent to the unanimous MVP she was a year ago,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “Even though she was not the unanimous MVP this year, her journey this season was different and she played the best basketball of her career in the playoffs.”
“Every year you wonder how she will get better, and she always does.”
Wilson became the first player in the WNBA or NBA to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and lead the league in scoring in the same season.
Wilson broke a tie with Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson, who were three-time WNBA MVPs. She plans to have another relaxing offseason since she won't be playing overseas or in Unrivaled, a domestic 3-on-3 league.
She's already crossed one thing off her bucket list by meeting her idol Beyoncé at the Formula One race in Las Vegas last month.
“It was really cool, Beyoncé is someone I've always wanted to meet because I just admired her work,” Wilson said.
The Great Aces themselves are like that for many. She launched a line of shoes and clothing with Nike. Her shoes sold out within minutes of going on sale.
“It’s amazing, something I think about every day when I look around and see people just wearing my shoes. Every day is a gentle reminder that you know this is a special moment that we're living in, and I'm so grateful when I look back.”
