WNBA MVP Rankings: What Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, A'ja Wilson each need to do to seal the deal

The WNBA regular season is coming to a close, with each team having fewer than 15 games to play. 

The regular season ends Sept. 11, with the top eight teams making the playoffs, which begin on Sept. 14.

As the fight for not just the final few spots only gets hotter, so does the race for league MVP. 

Right now, there are three frontrunners: Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, and A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. 

Wilson is the defending WNBA MVP, having also won it in 2020 and 2022. Neither Thomas nor Collier has ever won the accolade, though Collier did win MVP in the Unrivaled league he co-founded with Breanna Stewart in 2025.

Here's what each of the other three players can do as the season winds down to secure the MVP trophy.

Alyssa Thomas

This season, Thomas is averaging 15.9 points, 9.2 assists, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. The veteran — she was the fourth overall pick in 2014 out of the University of Maryland — is first in assists per game, and she is third in rebounds per game. She’s also 15th in scoring and eighth in steals, leading a team that is second in defensive rating at 98.8.

Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts spoke about Thomas’ MVP odds after the team blew out the Indiana Fever last week by 35 points. 

Thomas has "overlooked her whole career on how great she is,” Tibbetts said. 

In the game, Thomas made WNBA history, becoming the first player in league history with three consecutive triple-doubles. 

We need to keep winning. For her to win the MVP, you've got to be one of the better teams in this league. I think we've proven that. AT's not going to talk about herself in that conversation, but she just brings so much to our group each and every night," Tibbetts said.

At 19-12, the Mercury are now just one game back of the No. 2 New York Liberty. 

Despite being so close to the No. 2 spot, they have only won four of their last 10. Tibbetts nailed it — if Thomas wants to snag the MVP, the Mercury have to really end the season strong and jump in the standings. 

Napheesa Collier

Collier has been the MVP favorite all season — and has certainly been playing that way. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is leading the league in scoring with 23.5 points per game. Anchoring the best team in the league, the Lynx are comfortable in the No. 1 seed at 27-5. They have won five straight and only lost once in their last 10 games.

But her MVP run hit a snag. The forward will be sidelined for at least two weeks with a right ankle sprain, it was reported last week. She is set to be re-evaluated on Aug. 18. She injured her ankle during a blowout game against the Las Vegas Aces on Aug. 2, and the Lynx have won their last three games without her.

So long as Collier’s injury stays unserious, and the Lynx keep winning, it seems unlikely that she doesn’t win her first MVP award. She’s also fourth in the league in steals per game (1.6) and blockers per game (1.8), making her far and away one of the best — if not the best — players on both sides of the ball this season. 

A'ja Wilson 

She’s the defending MVP! You should never have counted her out!

Wilson is second in the league in points per game (22.2) and rebounds per game (9.6) and leads the league in blocks per game (2.1). The only reason he 2023 WNBA Finals MVP is not in the regular season MVP conversation more is due to the Aces’ struggles this season.

At 18-14, the Aces are No. 6 in the standings. But, they haven’t been there long – a four-game winning streak and a 7-3 record in their past 10 have catapulted them back into the postseason conversation.

And of course, Wilson won’t go quietly as the season winds down. On Sunday, the star finished with 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting to go along with 20 rebounds. It was her 14th double-double of the season and her sixth career game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds, tying Tina Charles for the most in WNBA history, per ESPN.

This season, Wilson became the fastest and second-youngest player to score 5,000 career points. 

Should the Aces keep winning — they are actually only 2.5 games back from the No. 2 New York Liberty — then that means their roller coaster season will go from mostly a struggle reel to an amazing finish that would really make Willson the MVP frontrunner. 

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