Napheesa Collier Damaged A'ja Wilson's Unanimous MVP Case

Napheesa Collier outplayed A'ja Wilson again and opened up the WNBA MVP conversation in the process.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Napheesa Collier outplayed A'ja Wilson in back-to-back games. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but in this instance it did do damage to the idea that Wilson is the unanimous MVP of the WNBA.

Not only due to the performance from Collier in the head-to-head matchup, but given the Minnesota Lynx continued to send the Las Vegas Aces in the wrong direction in the standings. Wilson and her squad that features three other Team USA members have now lost four out of five games.

Napheesa's game was actually historic, as as she became the first player in league history to tally 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists on 70%+ shooting. This en route to further cracking open the door to a true MVP conversation.

Napheesa Collier just rewrote the history books 🔥

First player EVER in the W to drop 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ assists on 70%+ shooting

STATS: 27 PTS | 18 REB (career-high) | 5 AST#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/Bo51UXBfxj

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 24, 2024

Wilson has been touted as a unanimous winner for most of the season, but that would require no one else to receive a single vote. And recently other players have begun at least staking a claim for recognition. That includes Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, and obviously Collier.

A unanimous MVP is an extremely rare thing after all. There has only been one in NBA history and I cannot find record of one in the W. That single sweep of the voting came from Stephen Curry in 2016, when he both had a spectacular season and led the Golden State Warriors to the best record in league history.

And when it comes to the WNBA, seeding has set a heavy precedent for the award winner. In fact, the last eight winners have come from the team seeded either first or second.

The Aces currently occupy the fifth seed and Wilson has been good enough statistically where she could be one of the rare exceptions for winning MVP without being on a team with a stellar record. However, it is becoming more difficult to see anyone winning unanimously. Especially after Collier's success against A'ja.

Napheesa is now averaging 20.7 points and 10.2 rebounds on a team with a solid grip on a top three seed. She also leads the league in Defensive Win Shares.

This coming as Phee heads into a showdown with Clark and the Indiana Fever, indicating the WNBA MVP race may just be heating up.