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A'ja Wilson won her third WNBA MVP award last season after the best campaign of her career. However, Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces failed to win the championship and complete a three-peat.
Entering the season, Wilson was the second favorite to win the award, with Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever leading the race. Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty and Satou Sabally of the Phoenix Mercury trail Clark and Wilson.
After plenty of action, drama and excellent performances, let's look at the first WNBA MVP ladder race after Week 1.
2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ladder Race - Week 1
#5 - A'ja Wilson | Forward | Las Vegas Aces
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- Games Played (Week 1) - 1 GP (0 W, 1 L)
- Average (Week 1) - 31.0 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
The reigning WNBA MVP didn't miss a beat in her first game of the season, finishing with 31 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two steals. However, the Las Vegas Aces came up short against the defending champions.
A'ja Wilson won't be at No. 5 for long since she's expected to climb for next week's list. If the Aces had won their opening game, she would have been in the top three without question.
#4 - Breanna Stewart | Forward | New York Liberty
- Games Played (Week 1) - 1 GP (1 W, 0 L)
- Average (Week 1) - 25.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Breanna Stewart has already won two WNBA MVPs in her career and is focused on taking home more championships. Stewart had a great start to the season, putting up 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
More importantly, the New York Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces in their season opener. Stewart should be a mainstay on this list throughout the season.
#3 - Caitlin Clark | Guard | Indiana Fever
- Games Played (Week 1) - 1 GP (1 W, 0 L)
- Average (Week 1) - 20.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 10.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 4.0 BPG
The pre-season favorite to win the WNBA MVP comes in at No. 3 in the first ladder race. Caitlin Clark dropped a triple-double in the Indiana Fever's 93-58 win over the Chicago Sky in their opening game.
Clark had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, plus two steals and four blocks. Fans should expect Clark to remain on this list as the season progresses.
#2 - Brittney Sykes | Guard | Washington Mystics
- Games Played (Week 1) - 2 GP (2 W, 0 L)
- Average (Week 1) - 24.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG
The most surprising player to make it to the list is the Washington Mystics' Brittney Sykes. The veteran guard was fantastic in the first two games for the upstart Mystics with a 2-0 record.
Sykes is coming off an injury riddled 2024 season. If the Mystics continue winning and the Syracuse product continues to perform well, she could well figure on this list for the rest of the season.
#1 - Napheesa Collier | Forward | Minnesota Lynx
- Games Played (Week 1) - 2 GP (2 W, 0 L)
- Average (Week 1) - 28.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Napheesa Collier had the best season of her career last year, but still came up short in the WNBA MVP voting. She also narrowly missed out on the championship. She finished second behind A'ja Wilson in the MVP race and lost the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty in five games.
Nevertheless, Collier looked as good as ever in the Minnesota Lynx's first two games of the season, leading them to a 2-0 record. She's going to be tasked to do more, given that Minnesota didn't make a lot of changes in the offseason.
