Napheesa Collier was on her redemption arc. After losing the 2024 MVP award to A’ja Wilson and the finals to the New York Liberty, Collier was gunning for both in 2025. For the majority of the time, Collier was succeeding, but then her ankle injury struck. She was out for a total of  11 games, and Wilson seems to be repeating the 2025 storyline. Collier’s still in the hunt, but A’ja’s in the driver’s seat, and one jaw‑dropping stat left a voter speechless.

A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier are trading blows as far as statistics are concerned. Wilson is averaging 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, while Collier is averaging 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, leading the Lynx to the No.1 seed. However, Noa Dalzell of SB Nation went deeper to find out who the better contributor to their respective teams is, and Wilson came out on top. 

Dalzell said on ‘WNBA Today on CLNS’,  “I think the most astounding single statistic that I came across when I put my ballot together, and this included like all the research that I did, was that the Las Vegas Aces were 26.9 points better, 26.9 points when A’ja Wilson was on the floor, than when she was off of it. So when A’ja Wilson’s on the floor, the Aces are outscoring opponents by 15.2 points per game.” 

 Wilson is the key for the Aces, and she has always been. Even during the disastrous start, Wilson was the most impactful player on the court most of the time. The results came when the pieces around her started fitting. Chelsea Gray  and Jackie Young upped their game to add production around Wilson, leading to wins. From May 17 to July 10, only Wilson averaged above 13 points per game, and the Aces went 9-11. In the second half of the season, Wilson averaged 25.3 points along with Young’s 16.3 points per game. Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray chipped in with 10 and 11 points per game, respectively.  However, Wilson’s impact off the court speaks even more. 

Dalzell further said, “So like they’re they’re beating opponents handily, right? When she’s on the bench, they’re losing by 11.7 points per game. Like, that is just a ridiculous swing. So, not only is it the biggest of the MVP candidates, but it’s actually like it was the most jarring stat that I came across by far.”

When it comes to Collier, Minnesota, it roars to 71.2 points scored and 60.75 points allowed per game. Without her, they scored 32.7 and allowed 31.09, a swing from +10.45 to +1.61 per game, which is significant but doesn’t match Wilson. Like Dalzell further said, “I mean, she led the league in scoring and in rebounds and in blocks. So the raw numbers are on her side. And then as far as her impact on the team, you know, it was just massive.”

It seems the MVP race is tilted towards Wilson as far as these numbers are concerned. Even Ben Pickman of the Athletic chose Wilson for similar reasons. “Wilson has done more than just close the gap. She’s fully taken the award and should be the league’s first four-time MVP.” Wrote Pickman. However, Sabreena leaned towards Collier.

Her reasoning?  Collier’s efficiency after becoming the first player since Elena Delle Donne to have a 50-40-90 season. “Collier can also defend every position. Her versatility on both ends is why she has the best net rating in the league among players who have suited up for more than 20 games.” Wrote Sabreena. According to The Athletic reporter, Collier is the best player on the best team, which is enough to get her the MVP. So there are two perspectives to look at this, even when it comes to pure numbers. It is about which number the voters prefer and give a higher weightage to. Apart from the numbers, the voting could be affected by “fatigue”.

Parker Fears “Voter Fatigue” Could Cost A’ja Wilson the MVP

The numbers game will continue. Fans and voters would continue to put their case for either Collier or Wilson for the MVP. On the outside chance, some would even pitch in Alyssa Thomas or Allisha Gray . The voters should ideally stick to the numbers and valid contention points to choose their MVP. But WNBA legend Candace Parker revealed another roadblock uniquely for Wilson. 

Parker said on “Post Moves” With Aliyah Boston, “Shout out to Aces because they’re talking about it… first in total points, first in blocks, first in total rebounds, first in defensive rebounds, first in 30-point games, first in 30-point double-doubles. I mean, that’s A’ja’s stats… let the numbers show.”

Then Parker zoomed out to history. “Similar to, during the Jordan era, Karl Malone got one, Charles Barkley got one; Jordan should have probably had more MVPs. Same thing with LeBron… Bron got to four, and people were like, ‘All right, that’s enough!’ So my question is, is there going to be voter fatigue?”

Wilson is chasing her record 4th MVP and second consecutive one where whereas Collier is going for her first. And many would think a new MVP would be a better look for the league rather than repeating. That is unfair on the part of Wilson, as the award is for the best player in the 2025 season. The past shouldn’t affect the voting. If a ballot truly has Collier as the best in 2025, so be it,  but chasing a fourth should be irrelevant to the vote.

The Aces star is far from worried about it, ” I’m honestly just blessed to be in the position that I’m in. Honestly, just to have my name in these conversations on the list of greats when you’re talking about the WNBA, and every single time I step on the court, I don’t take a moment for granted,” Wilson said. Even Collier will be focusing on getting that elusive title, with the MVP award being just a sidebar, and Wilson has a challenge in Game 3 against the Storm.