Lisa Leslie Gets Clear About A'ja Wilson Breaking Her WNBA MVP Record

Lisa Leslie sent a message about A'ja Wilson winning the 2025 WNBA MVP, which breaks Leslie's record for most WNBA MVP awards in a career.

Nov 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Former NBA player and olympic athlete Lisa Leslie speaks during a DEI Summit ahead of the 2024 NWSL Championship match at Union Station. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

On the morning of September 21 (just a few hours before her Las Vegas Aces team faces off against the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals), news broke that superstar forward A'ja Wilson won the 2025 WNBA MVP award.

ESPN insider Shams Charania broke this news with an X post that quickly went viral. While there had been some debate about whether Wilson or Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier was more deserving of this award, nobody can deny that what Wilson has done this season is nothing short of extraordinary.

She led the league in points per game (23.4), was second in rebounds per game (10.2), earned WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year for her presence on that end of the court, and was the catalyst for the Aces winning 16 straight regular season games to close out the season, which catapulted them up to the No. 2 spot in the WNBA standings.

Sep 16, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) reacts to a fould during the second half in game two of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Some of Wilson's advanced stats further cement how valuable she was to her team. An X post from basketball journalist Nekias Duncan noted that, "Vegas had a +12.1 net rating with her ON the floor this year, -16.9 with her OFF," which is a staggering shift in the team's effectiveness when Wilson is playing.

Then again, those who watched Wilson on the court this season don't need the proof of advanced stats to say how dominant she has been.

Lisa Leslie Speaks on A'ja Wilson Securing the 2025 WNBA MVP

This MVP victory is historic for Wilson, as it makes her the only four-time WNBA MVP in the league's history. After she won the award in 2024, she became the fourth player to be a three-time winner, joining legends Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson.

It didn't take Lisa Leslie long to show Wilson love for breaking her shared WNBA MVP record, as she made an Instagram post on Sunday morning that showed an ESPN graphic of her, Jackson, and Swoopes looking up at Wilson, who is sitting on a throne and holding the MVP trophy. The post's caption wrote, "Congratulations @aja22wilson I could not be more proud of you! You fought for absolutely everything you have earned!!! 💚💕 4X MVP👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽".

While Wilson must be stoked about winning the award, she would surely be the first person to say that she'd prefer winning a WNBA championship. And her next step in doing so will be beating the Fever at home on Sunday.