A'ja Wilson's 2026 WNBA MVP award argument just got its strongest endorsement yet. Dawn Staley, Wilson's college coach at South Carolina from 2014 to 2018, declared her former player the greatest of all time this week.
"She's already the GOAT," Staley said of the Las Vegas Aces standout. "She has done things that no other player has done."
Why Dawn Staley Says A'ja Wilson Has WNBA MVP Award on Lock
Wilson is currently averaging 26.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season. She also leads the league in blocks. That two-way dominance, Staley argued, is what puts Wilson above every other WNBA awards contender.
"You can argue with a wall. A'ja Wilson is the MVP," Staley said.
Kelsey Mitchell and Olivia Miles have both entered the conversation this year thanks to their offensive output. Mitchell is averaging 25 points per game. Miles, already a Rookie of the Year lock, is logging 19.8 with 4.7 rebounds. Still, Wilson's defense in Las Vegas gives her the edge, according to her former coach.
"A'ja's defense is the differentiator and the separator," Staley added.
"She is the best player in the league. Not taking anything away from the great season that Kelsey Mitchell has had. Who else is in the MVP race? Olivia Miles, super great season. On both sides of the ball, there is nobody doing it like A'ja. And you can't discount that."
Among other accolades, Wilson has already won four WNBA MVP trophies, more than any player in league history. Another nod would give her three in a row. And she''ll have more opportunities to prove her case as the Aces continue their WNBA playoffs run.
Tuesday's WNBA scores included a Valkyries vs Fire stunner in Portland. The Golden State Valkyries blew a 17-0 lead, eventually falling to the Fire 90-82 in overtime. That loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Golden State, while also helping to lock up the No. 1 playoff seed for the Minnesota Lynx.
Valkyries Squander Lead, Hand Fire OT Win
Golden State kept Portland off the board for the first six minutes of the game. Then, Bridget Carleton's first 3-pointer broke the drought. From there, the Fire trimmed the deficit quarter by quarter before forcing overtime.
Carleton finished by scoring 26 points and five triples, while Carla Leite sealed the win in the extra period. Leite hit a pull-up jumper from 20 feet to grab the lead with 1:57 left, then completed an and-one with 26.5 seconds on the clock.
Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 17 points while Veronica Burton scored 13 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. But neither player could prevent the collapse after halftime.
How This Week's WNBA Scores Shift Playoff Seeding
With the loss, Golden State falls to 31-12 with just one matchup left against the LA Sparks on Thursday.
Slated to tip off this Sunday, the Valkyries enter the WNBA playoffs as the No. 2 seed should they score a win in their final game of the season.
The Washington Mystics moved closer to locking up a WNBA playoffs seed on Tuesday, scoring a win against the Connecticut Sun 79-69. Shakira Austin's 25 points and 13 rebounds powered the win. It was her 20th double-double of the season, and a history-making one when viewed alongside Kiki Iriafen's record.
Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen Make History in Final Sun vs Mystics Meeting
Austin's performance against the Sun brought her even with Iriafen, who already has 22 double-doubles of her own. Together, they became the first pair of teammates to hit 20 (or more) apiece in a single WNBA season.
That record-breaking stat, coupled with Sonia Citron's 12 points and Cotie McMahon's 13 helped round out Washington's balanced attack against Connecticut.
On the other side of the court, Diamond Miller paced Connecticut with 19 points. But the Sun couldn't close the gap by the final buzzer. Her teammates Leila Lacan and Raegan Beers each scored 11 points in the loss, as Connecticut dropped to 10-33.
How This Week's WNBA Scores Impact Playoffs Seeding
With the win, Washington topped its own franchise record of 26 victories, set during its 2019 championship season.
Now at 27-16, the Mystics hold a one-game edge over the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty as the three teams battle for seeding advantages with just two regular-season games remaining before the WNBA playoffs.
The Chicago Sky topped the Toronto Tempo 97-85 at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday night. The pair's final regular-season meeting capped a rough WNBA scoring stretch for both teams, but Chicago found its footing in the third quarter to end a five-game slump.
Kamilla Cardoso Secures Win in Tempo vs Sky's 3rd Quarter
Chicago was still without Rickea Jackson and Skylar Diggins, both out for the season, but the team found production down the bench. The Sky outscored Toronto 28-11 in the third frame, shooting 53% from the field overall. Kamilla Cardoso alone scored eight of her 17 points during the 18-2 run that built a 14-point lead.
Cardoso's teammates Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor also put up strong performances, finishing with 18 points apiece for Chicago. Courtney Vandersloot, meanwhile, added 10 points and nine assists to shore up the win.
For the Tempo, Isabelle Harrison led all scorers with 21 points and 13 rebounds. She poured in 17 during the first half alone, while forward Laura Juskaite chipped in 20. Harrison kept Toronto competitive early, but Chicago's depth proved too much after the break.
The Tempo has now dropped seven straight and 19 of its last 20 while falling to 11-32. Chicago improved to 16-27. The Tempo closes the regular season at Connecticut, while the Sky visits Washington on Thursday.
No. 1 Minnesota got it done — barely, clinching the No. 1 playoff seed and home-court advantage despite getting lit up by No. 5 Indiana 96-77 in last night’s Lynx vs Fever clash.
A shaky Lynx start saw the Fever bolt to a 57-28 halftime lead — Minnesota’s biggest deficit of the season — before coach Cheryl Reeve emptied her bench in an attempt to rest her starters.
No. 9 Portland’s 90-82 overtime win over No. 2 Golden State later locked it up for the league-leader. The Fire pushed the Valkyries out of top-seed contention with the victory.
Caitlin Clark kept Indiana’s home-court advantage dreams alive with 27 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Fellow Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell extended her record to 27 straight games with at least 20 points.
The Lynx were without Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles (calf). Reeve subsequently called the late scratch a precaution heading into the postseason.
“It’s embarrassing,” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said. “We should be disappointed and embarrassed about the product that we put on the floor tonight.”
Minnesota and Indiana run it back tomorrow at 8 PM ET (USA).
Nneka Ogwumike received a standing ovation ahead of her last game in Las Vegas before reminding the crowd why she's earned eight All-Star selections. The 2016 MVP put up 17 points and nine rebounds for the LA Sparks on Tuesday night. But it wasn't enough to slow a Las Vegas Aces team riding a six-game winning streak.
A'ja Wilson Powers Las Vegas Aces Past LA Sparks
The Aces wasted no time pulling away, rattling off 15 straight points in the first quarter and never letting the Sparks back within reach. Las Vegas eventually closed the game 89-79.
A'ja Wilson posted 18 points and 10 rebounds in her 64th straight double-digit scoring game. Jackie Young added 14 points and 11 assists, and Chelsea Gray finished with 17 of her own.
The victory moved Las Vegas to 30-13 on the WNBA season, locking up at least a No. 3 playoff seed with home-court advantage in the first round. Meanwhile, the Sparks dropped to 16-27 without injured Dearica Hamby (left knee) and Cameron Brink (right ankle).
The 2026 WNBA Playoffs tip off Sunday. If standings hold, Las Vegas would face the sixth-ranked Washington Mystics in a best-of-three series. The Sparks, meanwhile, head into the offseason well outside the playoff picture as Ogwumike's 15-year career enters its final stretch.
Dallas's Paige Bueckers made history in Monday's losing effort, breaking Arike Ogunbowale's franchise single-season scoring record in a narrow Wings vs Mercury defeat.
Bueckers finished the night with 853 points on the season. She passed backcourt partner Arike Ogunbowale's 849-points 2023 record. The performance subsequently marked her sixth-career 30-point game and her fourth this season.
She carried the load early. Bueckers accounted for every Dallas point in the first quarter with five points and eight assists worth of scoring. The Wings had a chance to steal the game at the buzzer, but Bueckers airballed a contested 3-pointer, and Phoenix held on for a one-point win.
Jessica Shepard added 17 points for Dallas, but the duo could not slow Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas, who combined for 46 points on 17-of-29 shooting.
The record extends a historic stretch for Bueckers. In the teams' previous meeting on September 19th, she broke Seimone Augustus's mark for most points through a player's first two WNBA seasons.
Bueckers now averages 20.6 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 50.9% from the field. Her play has lifted the Wings to a franchise-record 26 wins.
Dallas closes out the regular season tomorrow against the Seattle Storm, with a shot at the No. 5 WNBA playoffs seed on the line.
No. 5 Indiana is buckling up, tipping off a season-ending Lynx vs Fever doubleheader against No. 1 Minnesota tonight with crucial playoff seeding on the line.
The Lynx need just one win to clinch the top overall seed, while the Fever can up their home-court advantage odds by running the table.
“We play the best team in the league, two games to finish the regular season,” said Indiana guard Caitlin Clark. “I see that as an opportunity for us to have amazing confidence going into the postseason.”
Minnesota might be without its rookie floor general tonight, with guard Olivia Miles listed as “questionable” after a left calf knock.
Miles leads the team in points (19.8) and assists (6.0) per game, leaving the Lynx in the lurch as they look to lock in a second straight No. 1 seed.
The Fever might have guard trouble of its own, as “probable” Clark continues to nurse a lingering back issue.
Minnesota faces Indiana tonight at 8 PM ET (ESPN).
No. 4 Atlanta controls its own destiny, downing No. 8 New York 95-84 in last night’s Dream vs Liberty matchup to pull within one game of clinching home-court advantage in next week’s WNBA playoffs.
The Dream stood its ground against postseason competition, besting the Liberty behind guard Jordin Canada’s 19 points and nine assists.
“We know what’s at stake,” Canada said afterward. “We knew that this was going to be a battle.”
Atlanta will have to get past New York one last time, closing out the season tomorrow against a Liberty side searching for answers before it’s too late.
Monday’s loss saw New York lose its grip on a Top 5 playoff seed, relegating the 2024 champion to a road trip-heavy path to the finals.
“We’re going to take on the challenge,” Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich said ahead of Wednesday’s rematch. “They can feel good about the win. It’s good, cool for us. We’re gonna win the next one.”
New York faces Atlanta tomorrow at 8 PM ET (USA).
A'ja Wilson led the Las Vegas Aces past the Seattle Storm 98-77 on Sunday, recording her 49th career 30-point game. The win stretches Las Vegas's streak to five straight and puts the Aces third in the current WNBA standings — one game ahead of the Atlanta Dream.
Las Vegas Offense Dominates Latest Storm vs Aces Meeting
Wilson went 16-for-18 at the line to fuel the scoring. Her teammate Jackie Young added 23 points and eight assists on 10-of-15 shooting, while veteran Chelsea Gray contributed 15 as all three finished in double figures.
Las Vegas wasted no time taking control of the scoreboard, mounting a 21-2 run in the first quarter and building a 27-12 lead before the period ended. Seattle fought back in the second, cutting the deficit to two on two occasions.
Flau'jae Johnson did her best to create a comeback, posting a season-high 29 points with five three-pointers. Young Storm star Dominique Malonga added 25 on 10-of-13 from the field, too. However, the Aces pulled away after halftime and never gave Seattle another opening.
Where Las Vegas Lands After This Week's WNBA Scores
The loss drops Seattle to 8-35, marking its 18th defeat in the last 20 games. Las Vegas, meanwhile, notched an important win to shore up its postseason positioning ahead of next week's WNBA playoffs.