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aja Wilson stood over wnba again in 2025, winning an unprecedented fourth MVP as his vegas The Aces earned their third championship in four seasons.
For this, she won the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award for the first time in her career on Wednesday. This is the second consecutive year that a basketball player has won the award, after Caitlin Clark was honored in 2024.
“It’s an honor when you think about the group of women who have won before,” Wilson said in a phone interview. “Just to have my name on it, I’m blessed.”
Wilson is only the fifth basketball player to be honored as Female Athlete of the Year since it was first presented in 1931, joining Sherrill Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Candace Parker (2008, 2021) and Clark.
The AP polled a group of 47 sports journalists and its members. Tennis star Wilson got 17 votes Arina Sabalenka He was second with nine and Paige Bueckers was third with five.
Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson, “The things she’s done on the court, she’s never done them before. To me, she’s in a league of her own.” “People always ask who’s on your Mount Rushmore? I say he’s on Everest – there’s no one up there with him.”
Shohei Ohtani won the AP Male Athlete of the Year award for the fourth time on Tuesday.
Hammon has been impressed by everything Wilson has done during his four years coaching in Las Vegas.
“His relatability, down to earth, makes him a great superstar,” Hammon said. “Her skill set is unmatched, but she is also the easiest player to coach. With a blend of humility, grace and skill, she is doing things that have never been done.”
This season was different for Wilson and the Aces, who had won their previous two titles as heavy favorites. This year, with a month remaining, the Aces were sitting at .500 and in danger of missing the playoffs after a record 53-point loss against Minnesota.
Wilson led his team to wins in the final 16 games of the regular season to clinch the No. 2 seed, and Las Vegas won the championship.
“This season I pulled myself out of the adversity and mud that we went through,” he said.
Despite her numbers being on par with the previous year’s consensus MVP season, Wilson heard discussion that she was not playing as well and was not a front-runner to repeat as the league’s top player.
The 29-year-old player used it as fuel on the court. He 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. “It’s always going to be something. If we sit here and try to please everybody, we’ll go crazy. I’m just going to continue to prove why I’m one of the greatest and why my team is part of a dynamic dynasty.”
Wilson raised his game even further in the playoffs, helping the Aces survive decisive winner-take-all games in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She then hit the winning shot in Game 3 to help Las Vegas defeat Phoenix in the WNBA Finals.
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said, “It’s fair to say the expectations for him are much higher now, compared to who he was as the unanimous MVP from a year ago.” “Even though she wasn’t the unanimous MVP this year, she had a different journey this season and was playing the best basketball of her career in the playoffs.”
“Every year, you wonder how she’ll 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 the tie with Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson, who won WNBA MVP three times. She plans to take a more relaxed time in the offseason as she will not play overseas or in the domestic 3-on-3 league Unrivalled.
She’s already crossed one thing off her list, meeting her idol. Beyoncé At the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas last month.
Wilson said, “It was great, Beyoncé is someone I always wanted to meet because I admired her work.”
Aces are great for many people. He launched a line of shoes and clothing with Nike. His shoe 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 shoe. Every day it’s a gentle reminder that you know this is a special moment we’re living in and when I look back I’m so grateful.”
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball