Acquiring shelf space might be one of A’ja Wilson’s toughest life tasks. Her trophy collection is so large, it’s hard to imagine where she puts it all.
Among her stockpile of honors, the Las Vegas Aces forward is already the WNBA’s first four-time MVP after being awarded the top individual honor for the second year in a row last season.
Make more space, A’ja. The Athletic’s women’s basketball experts predict there’s more to come for her as our WNBA preseason MVP pick.
They each voted for their top three. In addition to the names below, our ballots also included Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum.
Our experts’ top picks
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Wilson is the best player in the world, and she is determined to show that every time she steps on the court. Even when the Aces finished with the fourth-best record (out of 12 teams) in the league, she still captured this award with her individual brilliance. The Aces should once again be excellent, and they revolve around Wilson. Unless voter fatigue sinks in, Wilson has to be the favorite to capture this honor again. — Sabreena Merchant
The Aces return their WNBA championship team from last season and look to run it back on Wilson’s shoulders. For a (not so bold) prediction: The league’s first four-time MVP becomes the first five-time MVP. — Chantel Jennings
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Already a two-time MVP, Stewart has another most-valuable season in her after re-signing with the Liberty. She’s feeling and looking like a renewed version of herself, so 2026 is the year she gets it done. This might be a bold pick considering Wilson’s consistent dominance, but Stewart has an aura about her coming into this season. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s fully healthy or that she’s fresh off an Unrivaled title and another with Fenerbahçe, but the rest of the league should be on notice. — Annie Costabile
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
She’s healthy, she’s probably miffed about how last season played out, she has one of the most explosive skill sets in the world, and her team should be good. Also, fun fact: No one has won WNBA MVP three times in a row, so maybe the voters look outside of Las Vegas this season. — Brian Hamilton
Who’s winning the title?
Our experts also predicted which team would walk away with the trophy this season.
New York Liberty
Beat Aces in seven games. Las Vegas very recently upended the “it’s borderline impossible to repeat” logic … but it’s still hard. In New York, meanwhile, there’s a group that’s the betting favorite led by a motivated superstar in Breanna Stewart. Give me Liberty. — Hamilton
Las Vegas Aces
Beat Liberty in six games. The Liberty might be more talented top to bottom than the Aces, but Las Vegas has the best player and the head coaching advantage. Party like it’s 2023 again. — Merchant
Beat Indiana Fever in seven games. The Aces win because they have A’ja Wilson. It’s as simple as that. The four-time MVP is the best player in the league and in her prime. The Aces also retained their championship core and added one of the most dynamic guards in the league in Chennedy Carter. If they can stay healthy and weather storms, the Aces will complete the dynasty winning their fourth title in five years. — Costabile
Beat Atlanta Dream in six games. The Aces aren’t the league’s deepest team, but they are the best team. If Las Vegas can recover from a 14-14 start to 2025, then there shouldn’t be many doubts for this season’s Aces, who feature the league’s best player, best coach and a core that has won three of the last four titles. — Jennings
More predictions
Biggest surprise: Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx lost depth in the expansion draft and free agency when the Portland Fire nabbed Bridget Carleton and the Dallas Wings signed Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, but they still have their big three in Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride. On top of that, the Lynx have only missed the playoffs twice in coach Cheryl Reeve’s 16-year tenure. This team is still a playoff contender, but they might surprise people by making a deep run.
Most disappointing team: Chicago Sky
The Sky have once again stated their intention to make the postseason, and anything short would be a disappointment. Spoiler alert: We have the Sky out of the top eight in our preseason rankings. Chicago has added a lot of talent, but also a lot of personalities for second-year head coach Tyler Marsh to manage. This locker room could be combustible.
Breakout star: Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm
In her rookie season, Malonga averaged just 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, but her minutes were capped on a veteran team. This season, the Storm are in rebuild mode, and Ezi Magbegor is out with a right foot injury, giving Malonga the runway to take off.
Best new fit: Alanna Smith, Dallas Wings
The reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year joins what was probably the worst frontcourt in the WNBA in 2025. Smith gives Dallas a defensive anchor and a pick-and-pop partner for Paige Bueckers.
Our preseason predictions
• What do our All-WNBA preseason first- and second-teams look like? They’re stacked with talent.
• Who will be the WNBA’s Coach of the Year? How about General Manager of the Year?
• Who is our preseason Rookie of the Year pick?
• Eager to stay up to speed on the non-stop women’s basketball beat? Subscribe to our new weekly newsletter, No Offseason.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
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