(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Sunday morning, the WNBA announced Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson as unanimous 2024 Most Valuable Player.
It’s the third time Wilson has won the MVP (2022, 2020). This season, she averaged 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.3. assists and 2.6 blocks per game for the defending WNBA champions.
Indiana Fever rookie star Caitlin Clark finished fourth in the voting, receiving 130 total voting points. Clark received six 3rd-place votes, 26 4th-place votes and 22 5th-place votes.
“Caitlin is special,” head coach Christie Sides said. “Everybody knows that. She’s been special. She came into the best women’s basketball league in the world, she found her footing, continued to get better. She’s’ put herself in a position to be one of the best players in this league, and that’s incredible, especially for a rookie.”
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The No. 1 overall draft pick averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game this season and broke several WNBA rookie record. She set rookie record for assists with 337, broke the single-game record for assists with 19, became the first rookie to record a triple-double (she had two) and her 122 3-pointers — second-most in any WNBA season — was another rookie record.
Clark and the Fever open WNBA playoffs Sunday at Connecticut in Game 1, 3 p.m. It’s the Fever’s first playoff appearance since 2016.
“Caitlin is doing extraordinary things,” Sides said. “She’s unique. She’s one of the reasons we’re here today.”
And the playoff berth is what Clark cares about most.
“I mean, it’s cool, but I don’t really care,” Clark said of placing fourth in MVP voting. “My life is pretty unaffected by that. I’m just going to go out there and help my team, and honestly our goal was to get to the playoffs. I have a belief that we can come in here and win this series, one game at a time. So I think that’s where my focus is.”
Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier (467 points) and Breanna Stewart (295 points) were second and third in the voting, respectively.
Fever All-Star Kelsey Mitchell received a 3rd-place vote and a 5th-place vote to finish 11th in the voting.
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese finished 12th with one 4th-place vote. WNBA Rookie of the Year is expected to be announced later this week.
