A’ja Wilson has dominated the MVP award picture since 2022, winning the award three times, including last season. Now in 2026, she is the frontrunner for winning MVP honors for the fifth time and the third time in a row. Another name that is firmly in the running alongside Wilson this year is Caitlin Clark. The only reason Clark wasn’t in the conversation last year was that she missed the vast majority of it due to injury, and Sydney Colson has revealed why CC is back in the conversation in her first full season back from injury.

Speaking on Thursday’s episode of the Yahoo Sports Daily podcast, the former Indiana Fever guard explained the similarities between the nine-year Aces veteran and the rising third-year Fever star that make them part of the MVP conversation.

“Part of the process is that you gotta want to be great. You have to want to get better, you know, see whatever the holes are in your game that people try to exploit and find a way to fix that.”

And I think they both put in a tremendous amount of time, you know, making sure that you’re taking care of your body, watching what you eat, taking a lot of time to find the proper resources, the proper people to get you in shape, to get you mentally ready, just really taking care.” 

“I mean, taking advantage of everything that you have at your disposal to become better… Just fix whatever it is in your game that you feel like needs work, and then come back the next season and find a way to no longer make it a weakness.”

As it stands this season, both players are firmly at the top of the 2026 WNBA MVP race, and it’s very well deserved. A’ja Wilson, already a four-time MVP, currently leads the league in scoring at 26.0 points per game and in blocks at 2.0 per game, adding 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals. Caitlin Clark, meanwhile, leads the league in assists at 8.3 per game, while also averaging 22.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game. Two different profiles. Two equally compelling cases.

Both stars have been central to their respective teams’ success throughout the season, have established themselves as cornerstones of their respective franchises, and have consistently been among the best since entering the league. And as Colson made clear, the consistency and quality of what they produce on a nightly basis do not happen by accident.

The numbers are just the visible output of an enormous amount of invisible work: the offseason preparation, the body maintenance, the deliberate targeting of perceived weaknesses, the refusal to remain comfortable. That drive, she argues, is the common thread that separates these two from the rest of the league.

What makes this moment in the season particularly compelling is that the two players, who are rivals right now, are about to become teammates. Caitlin Clark and Wilson are both set to represent Team USA at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which begins September 4, spending the next few weeks fighting for the same goal on the same side. 

Meanwhile, Colson believes that A’ja Wilson has already done enough to win the MVP award again, as she revealed while speaking to hosts Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton.

“My MVP? Probably A’ja. I think people, a lot of the time, have greatness fatigue, and not in other sports, but for some reason with the WNBA they do, and I just think that’s going to be something that’s not seen for a long time.”

Once the World Cup concludes, however, their paths could once again cross from opposite sides when the WNBA Playoffs arrive. The Fever have already won two of their three matchups against the Aces this season. So while Colson believes Wilson is ahead in the running, the Aces may need to win another championship to truly seal the deal for Wilson’s fifth MVP.