​WNBA MVP race rankings: A’ja Wilson vs. Olivia Miles debate is on with Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers lurking originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Award season is fast approaching in the WNBA. With a little more than one month left in the season, now is the time for the league’s greatest talents to play for the sport’s finest pieces of hardware.No accolade glistens as brightly as the MVP. A’ja Wilson has had something of a stranglehold on the prize in recent years, capturing four in the past six years. A fifth looks on the horizon, although she’s facing strong competition from a handful of notable youngsters, namely Olivia Miles and Caitlin Clark.Recent history tells us that MVP races can be difficult to predict. Wilson beat Breanna Stewart by eight first-place votes in 2022. Stewart won the award in 2023 despite earning fewer first-place votes than Alyssa Thomas, while Wilson stormed away with the prize after a late-season surge last year. While the calendar is shrinking, votes haven’t yet been cast. Surprises could be on the way, especially if someone further down the rankings makes a splash.With that, here’s a look at what the MVP ladder looks like heading into the stretch run.MORE: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese headline USA’s FIBA World Cup roster Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images WNBA MVP race rankingsA’ja Wilson, C, AcesPointsReboundsAssistsStealsBlocksTOsFG%3P%FT%26.69.63.21.52.02.353.744.684.9There has been plenty of fanfare about the likes of Miles, Clark, Paige Bueckers and Kelsey Mitchell over the course of the year. They all are plenty deserving of praise, having each enjoyed standout campaigns to push their sides toward postseason contention.And yet, they all fall short of Wilson, the WNBA’s greatest-ever player, who is authoring yet another iconic season. The Aces are 3.5 games back of the Lynx for the best record in the league, so it’s entirely possible that voters feel compelled to vote for Miles, who has spearheaded Minnesota’s push for glory while Napheesa Collier recovered from offseason ankle surgery.Still, Wilson’s numbers pop compared to those of her competitors. She’s within a shout of breaking her scoring record, exceeding the 26-point threshold for the third time in four seasons. Wilson also leads the league in blocks, ranks third in rebounding, 14th in steals and 25th in assists per game. She leads the league in win shares (6.6), ranks 11th in offensive rating (123.2) and third in defensive rating (101.5). Wilson’s 33.8 player efficiency rating not only leads the league, it’s nearly 10 points higher than second place, held by Fever star Aliyah Boston.Some onlookers might believe MVP fatigue could lead to Wilson falling slightly down the ladder for the MVP prize. The likes of Miles and Clark have intriguing cases that could grow with strong performances in the final portion of the year. But at present, the prize remains Wilson’s to l