- WNBA. Breanna Stewart named WNBA MVP after setting all-time points record
- WNBA. Brittney Griner named co-Comeback Player of the Year after triumphant return to WNBA
An incredible three-way race for the WNBA's MVP award came to a conclusion on Tuesday, as New York Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart took home the trophy after a record-setting debut season in the Big Apple.
Stewart is now a two-time MVP after she set a new personal -- and league -- best with 919 points scored during the 2023 regular season. She averaged a career-high 23 points per game after g with the Liberty as a free agent, and her arrival transformed New York into a juggernaut -- with Stewart as their guiding light, the Liberty went 32-8 in the WNBA's regular season, notching the league's second-best record in the process.
However, there were also strong MVP cases to be made for Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson -- who won the award a second time in 2022.
The case for Thomas
Thomas received more first-place MVP votes than Stewart, perhaps a snapshot into how voters regarded her importance to the Sun.
Thomas has played multiple seasons with a torn labrum in each shoulder, but even still, the four-time All-Star has never been better than she's been in 2023. The 31-year-old averaged nearly 16 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists per game in Connecticut, guiding it to the third-best record in the WNBA. She posted the W's first-ever 20-20-10 triple-double and became the league's all-time leader in the category this season as well.
The case for Wilson
Aces superstar Wilson arguably had an even-better season in 2023 than she did in 2022, when she won her second WNBA MVP award. Wilson averaged a career-high 22.8 points per game on career-best 56 percent shooting from the field, and she continued to excel defensively, successfully repeating as the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Wilson set new career highs with 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, but her candidacy may have been harmed somewhat by Las Vegas's status as the WNBA's juggernaut. The Aces, last season's champions, went 34-6 this season and are the #1 seed in the playoffs.