All eyes are on two of the league’s brightest stars in A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier as the WNBA named the five finalists for this year’s MVP award.
Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, and Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell joined Wilson and Collier in the list as the winner will be revealed on Monday, September 22 (PH time).
Wilson, a three-time MVP, is chasing her fourth in just eight seasons after winning in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
She powered the Aces to a remarkable 16-game winning streak — the second longest regular season streak in WNBA history — and averaged 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.3 blocks during that dominating stretch.
Over 40 games, Wilson paced the league in scoring with 23.4 points per game while adding 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
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She also shared Defensive Player of the Year honors with Minnesota’s Alanna Smith, the third time in the last four years that she won the award.
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Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Collier put together a career year for Minnesota.
Last season’s Defensive Player of the Year and the 2025 All-Star Game MVP, she became just the second player in league history—after Elena Delle Donne in 2019—to record a 50-40-90 shooting season.
Collier logged 20.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in 33 games all while leading the Lynx to a league-best 34-10 win-loss record.
Thomas, one of the league’s most consistent playmakers, averaged 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and a league-high and career-high 9.2 assists in 39 games.
She is the all-time leader in triple-doubles with 47, including dropping seven alone this season as Phoenix earned the no. 4 playoff seed and are currently battling the defending champion New York Liberty in their opening round playoff series.
Thomas has earned MVP votes in four of the last five seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2023.
Mitchell carried Indiana’s offense, playing all 44 games and finishing third in the league in scoring with 20.2 points per game, behind only Wilson and Collier.
Indiana, despite being the no. 6 seed, knocked off the no. 3 seed Atlanta Dream to advance to their first WNBA semifinals since 2015.
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As for Gray, she emerged as Atlanta’s top option, producing 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over 42 games while finishing third in Most Improved Player voting.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.
