WNBA MVPs over the years

Looking for a brief history of the best player in each season of the WNBA? Our WNBA MVP list covers all the top players dating all the way back to 1997.

The WNBA is home to the best women’s basketball players in the world. Each team is competing for the chance to reach the Finals and win the WNBA Championship Trophy. But in terms of individual accolades, there are none more prized than the title of WNBA MVP.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) is the one who provides the greatest service to their team across the season. Many of the biggest names in the league have earned the award, with a select few having the unique honour of being multiple-time WNBA MVPs.

We’ve assembled the complete WNBA MVP list by year so that you can see the winner from all of the previous seasons. We’ll also cover who the first WNBA MVP was, and which players have earned the award more than any other.

Who has the most WNBA MVPs?

In terms of teams, the Los Angeles Sparks has been the home of the most MVPs in WNBA history. Lisa Leslie earned three titles during her tenure (2001, 2004, and 2006), with Candace Parker earning a further two in 2008 and 2013, and Nneka Ogwumike’s 2016 win bringing their total to six.

When it comes to individual winners, four separate players have managed to win three MVP titles each over the course of their careers. These are all the players who are tied in first:

Sheryl Swoopes

The Houston Comets were a dominant force in the early WNBA seasons, and star shooting guard and small forward Sheryl Swoopes played an important role in establishing them as the best team in the world at the time. The Comets won the first four WNBA seasons consecutively, with Swoopes helping guide the team to each of their victories.

She earned her first MVP title in 2000 – the Comets’ final championship year – after averaging a career best of 20.7 points per game in the regular season. She would later earn her second MVP title in 2002, making her the second player to earn the award multiple times (after her teammate Cynthia Cooper. By the time she won her third MVP award in 2005, she became the first-ever three-time winner, a feat that has since been matched by just three other women.

Lisa Leslie

As a standout centre for the Los Angeles Sparks. Lisa Leslie became a two-time WNBA champion, leading the team to back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. The latter year saw her named both WNBA MVP and WNBA Finals MVP – her first time winning either award. Leslie would be named the league’s MVP on two other occasions: in 2004, and her career-best season, 2006 (averaging 20 points per game).

Leslie was a mainstay of the Los Angeles Sparks roster from their formation in 1997 until her retirement in 2009. Her other accolades include two Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight All-Star game appearances, and three All-Star Game MVP titles. She is widely regarded as one of the best WNBA players of all time.

Lauren Jackson

The Seattle Storm are among the teams with the most WNBA Championships, and Lauren Jackson helped them to the first two of four titles. As a power forward and centre, Jackson was able to combine a fierce offence with strong blocking capabilities, which saw her earn her first MVP title for the Storm in 2003.

Jackson would go on to earn her second title in 2007, after averaging a career best of 23.8 points per game. Her last MVP title came in 2010, when she became a two-time WNBA champion and was named WNBA Finals MVP for the first time.

A’ja Wilson

One of the most marketable WNBA players in recent memory, as well as one of the league’s biggest rising stars, A’ja Wilson has made a huge impression by winning three MVP titles in five years for the Las Vegas Aces. She earned her first MVP award in 2020, but has since reached even greater heights.

In 2022, Wilson led the Aces to their first of two back-to-back WNBA Championships, earning a second MVP win along the way. Her third title came in 2024, where she became the first woman since Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA’s debut 1997 season to receive unanimous first-place votes from the whole MVP judging panel.

WNBA MVPs history

Who was the first WNBA MVP, and who is the most recent winner? Our WNBA MVP list shows you the full history of the title, so you can see which teams and players have earned the most awards:

How is the WNBA MVP winner determined?

The WNBA MVP title is decided by a jury of sports broadcasters and writers. Each season, they are asked to rank their top five players of the season, who are awarded points based on their position:

• First-place votes receive ten points.

• Second-place votes receive seven points.

• Third-place votes receive five points.

• Fourth-place votes receive three points.

• Fifth-place votes receive one point.

At the end of voting, the player who received the most points in total is named the MVP of that season.

The format was briefly changed in 2008 to allow for public MVP votes. WNBA viewers were allowed to choose their own rankings of players, which would account for 25% of the result, while the remaining 75% were decided by the panel. Candace Parker was given her first WNBA MVP title, but the public vote was rescinded the following year, and the panel has decided 100% of the votes for MVP since.

In 2013, Candace Parker won her second MVP title, but became the player with the fewest first-place votes to still win the award. 10 of the 39 members of the jury listed her as their #1 pick, showing the wide array of talent to choose from across that season.

In comparison, only two players have ever been unanimously named the #1 pick for a year: Cynthia Cooper received 37 out of 37 first-place votes in 1997, while A’ja Wilson earned 67 out of 67 first-place votes in 2024.

Looking to keep up with all the biggest upcoming games in women’s basketball? Our WNBA betting odds are the perfect way to see your favourite team’s chances ahead of each match. Our basketball betting tips can also help inform your decisions, so make sure to stay updated on the latest news and picks.

Alternatively, stay ahead of the game with the Betway Sports app! Download it now from the Play Store or the App Store to enjoy live betting, real-time updates, and exclusive offers right at your fingertips.

You can also learn more about the league with other WNBA insights, including our list of the highest-paid WNBA players, or our ranking of the tallest WNBA players of all time.