A’ja Wilson is in her basketball-playing prime and is viewed by many as the best women’s basketball player on the planet. Since entering the league in 2018, she has been a dominant force for the Las Vegas Aces. She has led the team to two WNBA championships and won the WNBA MVP three times. She also won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award twice.
On Wednesday, analyst Maria Marino and Ari Chambers discussed the MVP race for this season. They discussed Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson as two players who could push to dethrone Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, who has emerged as the MVP favorite this season. Marino even compared Wilson to NBA legends LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
“I think that’s such a great point about what you said. Take Alyssa Thomas away, and where would the Phoenix Mercury be? Now, we already talked about A’ja Wilson. Tell me if you agree, I feel like she has just entered that conversation that you would have had LeBron James in, that you would have had Michael Jordan in,” Maria Marino said (Timestamp 1:50). “You’re kind of going to have her in the MVP race just about every year.”
Analyst Ari Chambers then responded, agreeing with Marino’s points.
“It’s funny because her bar is so high. That is the standard,” Ari Chambers said. “So in order to get a nod over an A’ja and an Alyssa Thomas, it’s so unfair because she’s going to have to be even better, right? And that’s a crazy concept to assume, because A’ja Wilson is the best player on the planet. I am so comfortable saying that. But because she has a standard that is so high, it’s hard to exceed people’s expectations.”
A’ja Wilson Has the Third Best Odds To Win the WNBA MVP Award
A’ja Wilson is coming off an MVP season in 2024 and is one of the top contenders again in 2025. However, Napheesa Collier is the betting favorite on FanDuel with -370 odds. She is averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Conversely, Wilson is averaging 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.1 blocks per game.
While her totals are impressive, they are mostly lower than they were last season when she won the MVP. As a result, she has +2500 odds to win the award, which puts her third in the race, behind Collier and Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas.
Read More:
- Dawn Staley Jokes About ‘Coming Out of Retirement’ After Lacing Up A’ja Wilson’s A’Ones
- Flau’jae Johnson Disputing A’ja Wilson’s Gender Debate Claim Draws Strong Reaction From Knicks’ $80,915,280 Superstar
- “Love Their Handshake” “Dawn Funny As Sh*t”: Fans React As Dawn Staley, A’ja Wilson and Boyfriend Bam Adebayo Turn Heads At WNBA All-Star Game
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