Basketball fans love a good argument. Honestly, nothing gets the blood pumping like debating who the "real" best player is, especially when you look at the WNBA MVP by year list. It isn't just a record of who put up the most points. It’s a messy, beautiful, and sometimes controversial timeline of how the game has evolved from the "We Got Next" era of the late 90s to the global explosion we're seeing in 2026.
You’ve got the legends. The three-timers. The unanimous picks. And yeah, the snubs that still make people Twitter-fingered at 2 AM.
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The Unanimous Era: A’ja Wilson and the New Standard
Let’s talk about 2024 for a second. That year changed everything. A’ja Wilson didn't just win; she basically took the trophy and told everyone else to try again in 2025. She became the first player since the legendary Cynthia Cooper in 1997 to win by a unanimous vote. Think about that. In a league as competitive as the WNBA, getting every single voter to agree on one person is nearly impossible.
She followed that up with a historic fourth MVP in 2025. Now she stands alone.
No one else has four. Not Sheryl Swoopes. Not Lisa Leslie. Not Lauren Jackson. A’ja is currently the sun that the rest of the league revolves around. In 2024, she was the first to hit 1,000 points in a season. Then in 2025, she held off a massive charge from Napheesa Collier, who honestly would have won it in almost any other year. Collier was a monster—DPOY-level defense and a scoring touch that kept the Lynx at the top of the standings—but A’ja is just a different species of hooper right now.
WNBA MVP Winners: The Timeline of Greatness
If you're looking for the full list, it's a "who's who" of basketball royalty. We don't do perfect tables here because life isn't a spreadsheet, so let's just walk through the eras.
The Foundation (1997–1999)
The league starts with Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets) going back-to-back in '97 and '98. She was older when the league started, but man, she was polished. Then Yolanda Griffith took over in '99 for the Sacramento Monarchs, bringing a level of physicality that changed the post game forever.
The "Big Three" Dominance (2000–2007)
This decade was basically a three-way tug-of-war.
- Sheryl Swoopes (Comets): 2000, 2002, 2005.
- Lisa Leslie (Sparks): 2001, 2004, 2006.
- Lauren Jackson (Storm): 2003, 2007, 2010.
It’s wild to look back and see how they just traded the trophy. Swoopes was the perimeter assassin, Leslie was the face of the league and a low-post technician, and LJ was the first true "unicorn"—a 6'5" center who could bury threes and block shots with the same hand.
The Transition Years (2008–2013)
2008 was a fever dream. Candace Parker won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Nobody has done it since. Not even Caitlin Clark in her historic 2024 rookie run. Then you had Diana Taurasi finally getting hers in 2009, which feels low for someone widely considered the GOAT by many. Tamika Catchings (2011) and Tina Charles (2012) kept the big-woman dominance alive before CP3 (Candace) grabbed her second in 2013.
The Modern Superstars (2014–2023)
This is where the game got fast. Maya Moore (2014) was the engine for the Minnesota dynasty. Then Elena Delle Donne (2015, 2019) showed us what a 50-40-90 season looks like in the W. We saw Nneka Ogwumike (2016), Sylvia Fowles (2017), and Breanna Stewart (2018, 2023) all claim their stakes.
The 2023 race between Stewart and Alyssa Thomas was... spicy. Thomas actually had more first-place votes (23 to Stewie's 20), but because of the points system, Stewart took the trophy home to New York. People are still mad about that in Connecticut.
Why the "Valuable" Part is So Confusing
The WNBA MVP by year isn't always about the best stats. It’s about "value." But what does that even mean?
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If you ask a purist, it’s the best player on the best team. That's usually how it goes. But then you have years like 2021 with Jonquel Jones. She was the best player, sure, but she also missed games for EuroBasket, and the Sun still rolled. Does that make her less "valuable"? Voters said no.
Then you have the "narrative" factor. In 2024 and 2025, the narrative was the massive influx of new fans and the "Caitlin Clark effect." Clark finished 4th in the 2024 voting as a rookie. Some people thought that was too high; others thought it was too low given how she transformed the Fever.
The reality? MVP voting is a mix of:
- Individual Dominance: Are you breaking records? (A’ja’s 1,000 points).
- Team Success: Is your team a contender? (The Liberty/Aces/Lynx triangle).
- The "Eye Test": When you leave the floor, does your team fall apart?
The Snubs and the "What-Ifs"
You can't talk about the MVP history without mentioning the players who should have won. Brittney Griner never won a regular-season MVP. Let that sink in. She’s been the most dominant defensive force of a generation, but the timing just never lined up with her offensive peaks.
And Alyssa Thomas in 2023? That’s the big one. She averaged nearly a triple-double as a forward. She played with two torn labrums in her shoulders. If that isn't the definition of "valuable," I don't know what is. But Breanna Stewart was the scoring engine for a New York team that was the "it" story of the league. Narrative often beats grit in the voting booth.
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What’s Next for the MVP Race?
We are entering a terrifyingly talented era. A’ja Wilson is the queen, but the challengers are lining up. Napheesa Collier is in her absolute prime. Breanna Stewart isn't going anywhere. And the "Class of '24"—Clark, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson—are all going to be in this conversation within the next 24 months.
If you’re trying to track the WNBA MVP by year to see where the league is heading, watch the "positionless" trend. The days of a traditional "back-to-the-basket" center winning are mostly gone. Even the "bigs" like A’ja and Stewie are handles-heavy, transition-running playmakers.
Actionable Insights for WNBA Fans:
- Watch the Point Totals: Don't just look at who won. Look at the point gap. Close races (like Swoopes vs. Jackson in '05 or Stewart vs. Thomas in '23) usually signal a shift in how the league is being played.
- Value the Defensive End: Historically, the MVP and the DPOY have a high crossover. If a player isn't elite on both ends, they rarely win the MVP in the modern era.
- Follow the "First-Place" Count: Since the WNBA uses a weighted points system, the person with the most first-place votes doesn't always win. It’s worth checking the voting breakdowns released by the league every September.
The WNBA is no longer a "niche" league. The MVP trophy is now one of the most prestigious individual awards in all of professional sports. Whether A’ja gets a fifth or a new face like Phee or Caitlin grabs the 2026 honors, the history of this award tells the story of a league that refused to stay small.