Cheryl Reeve Refutes Becky Hammon's WNBA MVP Stance
Before the Las Vegas Aces played their September 9 game against the Chicago Sky, Aces head coach Becky Hammon painted a clear picture of why she believes A'ja Wilson deserves the 2025 WNBA MVP award, which would be her fourth time winning this honor.
"This is who's the best in the league. This is the league MVP. So please stop all that silliness, talking about who's more impactful on their team. By the way, A'ja wins that argument, too. We went 1-3 without her," Hammon said, per a YouTube video from the Ballers Magazine. "I mean, that line of thinking, I could sit there and say NaLyssa Smith is our MVP, because before NaLyssa, we were 8-8. And with her, we're 20-6.
"Nobody cares about your feelings and opinions. Math doesn't lie. The numbers are the numbers, I'm sorry if you don't like it. Whether she's winning her 12th MVP... or her first, you don't crown someone at the beginning of the year, and walk it back so it fits your narrative," Hammon added of Wilson. "The numbers are the one thing that don't lie. This whole damn city was built on numbers and math. Math wins."
Cheryl Reeve Declares Napheesa Collier's WNBA MVP Case After Lynx Win
If there's one person who opposes Hammon's stance, it's Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, as she certainly thinks Napheesa Collier should win the WNBA MVP award. Collier finished the 2025 WNBA regular season with a 53.1% field goal percentage, a 40.3% three-point percentage, and a 90.6% field goal percentage, thus making her the second player in WNBA history to record a 50/40/90 season (and the first to do so while averaging over 20 points per game).
Reeve cited this season when explaining why Collier deserves the MVP after her team's September 11 win against the Golden State Valkyries, saying, "[The 50/40/90 season has] only been done once before, and that player was the MVP. Phee deserves that recognition. And the numbers don't lie. And I think that's something voters should look at. It's done from start to finish. A 50/40/90 is historic. I don't know how long it will be before it happens again.
"So Napheesa Collier has been the best player in the WNBA. She deserves MVP," Reeve said, per an X post from Andrew Dukowitz.
Cheryl Reeve on Napheesa Colliers 50/40/90 season
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) September 12, 2025
“Well, it can be revealed now that it was a goal of ours when we sat down with Phee, knowing it would be a lofty goal, it had only been done once before… Napheesa collier has been the best player in the WNBA this season and… pic.twitter.com/gN0dZtmAoy
It's fascinating that both Reeve and Hammon said that numbers don't lie when stating their cases for Collier and Wilson, respectively.
What's for sure is that both players have produced extraordinary numbers this season, and both deserve the award. But only one of them will ultimately get it.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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