For a second, A’ja Wilson loosened her grip on the MVP trophy. She missed three games through an ankle injury, and it seemed her fate would be like Napheesa Collier’s last year. She was the MVP favorite right up until her ankle troubles sidelined her for Wilson to capitalize and take home the trophy for the fourth time. However, the Aces star announced her return in pure Wilson fashion, with 32 points and ten rebounds, and followed that up by leading the team to its largest win in history. And Lisa Leslie has made her MVP case pretty clear. 

“The five-time MVP will be the A’ja Wilson Show because it just continues to keep going. A’ja has been dominating,” Leslie said on CBS Sports. “People get tired sometimes of seeing the same person win, but I think we should give it to the person who’s earning it. Right now, it’s A’ja Wilson. Her ability to score in a plethora of ways—the left hand, the right hand, the jumper, the consistency. She’s just been dominant. She’s leading the league in scoring once again at almost 26 points per game.”

Wilson had 21 points and 15 rebounds in just 25 minutes as the Aces routed the Phoenix Mercury 106-58 in the third-biggest blowout win in league history. After that performance,  Wilson now averages 26.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. She is shooting a career-best 52.4% from the field while adding a three-point shot to her arsenal. Wilson is attempting 2.3 three-pointers per game at 41.3%. 

She has certainly won the MVP with worse metrics, but what Leslie is referring to is voter fatigue that could impact her chances. Candace Parker warned about the same last year, but Wilson won nonetheless because of her sheer dominance. But for that to impact Wilson’s chances, there should be a player who is at least close to her in terms of performance.

For Wilson, that would have been Collier last year, but she missed the latter half of the season. This year, it could have been Kelsey Plum, who is just behind Wilson in scoring and sixth in assisting while leading the Sparks offense. But even Plum is now on the sidelines with an injury. No competitor is performing even close to Wilson on a consistent basis. The CBS Sports midseason awards had Wilson winning the MVP as well. 

However, the Aces and Wilson must manage her ankle issues with care, as an injury can derail any such ascendancy. But if Wilson continues with the same vigor, that MVP would just reward her already outstanding performance and strengthen her case for the GOAT status in the league.