The WNBA MVP race might not end up with a unanimous winner like Rookie of the Year will, but it does seem like we already know who the winner will be. Behind her, though? The rest of the top spots in the voting order look to be up for grabs, with a number of really good basketball players vying for them.
Here's how the MVP race looks as we close out the regular season.
5. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
What the Indiana Fever starting backcourt has done this season has been a bit of a miracle. I remain fairly adamant that this is a poorly constructed roster, with Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston surrounded by a cast of players who just don't mesh with what that trio needs around it.
And yet, the Fever are 28-15 and currently have the No. 5 seed. The worst that the team can finish is No. 6 if it loses Thursday to a Lynx team with nothing at stake after clinching the No. 1 seed and the Mystics beat the Sky.
Clark has played a huge role in this. She's averaging a career-high 22.8 points per game, ranking third in the league. Her 8.5 assists per contest are the league's second-most. Turnovers have been an issue, as has shot selection, but largely, Clark has been a major positive for the Fever.
4. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
It's been a disappointing season for the New York Liberty, a team that entered the 2026 season with its sights set on the No. 1 seed. Injuries soon brought an end to that plan, and New York is set to enter the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
Breanna Stewart, though, deserves credit for being a steadying presence on a roster that never quite figured things out. The Liberty star averaged 20.8 points per game, her most since 2023, and her 47.4 percent shooting mark overall was her best since 2018. That's in spite of a disappointing 25.4 percent mark from 3-point land.
Ultimately, though, her MVP candidacy can only go so far when playing for the No. 8 seed. It might not be fair, but you need either more team success or individual stats that make the case undeniable.
3. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
So, the question you're probably all wondering: why is Mitchell ahead of Clark? Sure, Mitchell's 25 points per game ranks ahead of Clark, but Clark's assist numbers should give her the edge, right?
I'm not going to say that argument is wrong. MVP isn't some kind of formula-based award. This isn't my favorite free online basketball simulation game where I can look at the numbers and know based on the metric which player will win which award. Plenty of other stuff goes into it.
For me, the big thing is that Mitchell is second in the league in scoring while leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage. It's a pretty wild level of efficiency for a player who has Mitchell's volume, so I have her ahead on my hypothetical MVP ballot.
2. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Olivia Miles might not have the statistical resume of these other contenders, but she has the best narrative of anyone in the conversation, as she's a rookie who led her team to the No. 1 overall seed despite the fact that her teammate, Napheesa Collier, was out for much of the season. Her ability to make up for the absence of a top-three player in the world was unexpected and is probably the most impressive thing we saw in the WNBA this season.
She falls just short of winning, though, because we can't completely ignore stats. Miles ranks ninth in scoring and seventh in assists, which are great numbers, but not quite MVP numbers. Turnovers have been a concern as well.
Miles is running away with Rookie of the Year, though, and she's definitely got a great shot to finish No. 2 in MVP voting due to how strong this debut season has gone for her. She just happens to be playing basketball at the same time as the juggernaut of the sport.
1. A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
A'ja Wilson is already the only four-time MVP in league history. Soon, she'll be the only five-time MVP.
Wilson has basically rocketed to the top of the GOAT conversation over the past two seasons, going from a player who looked like she'd end up as one of the all-time greats to a player who simply is an all-time great. She's leading the league in scoring and blocks. She's fifth in rebounds. She's somehow both the best offensive and best defensive player in the WNBA, and she keeps getting better. She's 12th in the league in 3-point percentage while taking a career-high 2.3 3-pointers per game!
Wilson is so good that there's virtually zero chance she falls victim (yet) to the dreaded "voter fatigue." Plenty of players have strong arguments to be second in this race, but Wilson has basically an unassailable grasp on the award.
Add us as a preferred source on Google