Nate Tibbets Details How Alyssa Thomas Can Win MVP

Alyssa Thomas keeps breaking WNBA records and has a real chance at being named league MVP for the first time if the Mercury can keep winning games.

Mercury fans chant MVP for guard Alyssa Thomas (25) after she sets a WNBA record with 3 consecutive triple-doubles at PHX Arena in Phoenix on Aug. 7, 2025. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alyssa Thomas has been having one of the wildest statistical seasons in recent memory, seemingly setting a new WNBA record every other game -- sometimes even breaking her own records -- and has established herself as one of the favorites for WNBA MVP.

The Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier, the leading scorer on the league's best ream, has been the clear front-runner for the coveted award all season long, but her recent injury has opened the door for Thomas, who has been a model of consistency this season, to sneak in.

Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts spoke on Thomas's MVP candidacy in a press conference after the team's blowout win over the Indiana Fever, saying Thomas has been "overlooked her whole career on how great she is." Despite leading the entire WNBA in assists while ranking third in rebounds, 15th in scoring, and eights in steals (and anchoring one of the league's best defenses), there hasn't been as much of a media push for her to win the MVP.

Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) against Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) during WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

She's the star around which the league's fourth-place team revolves, but that won't be enough in the eyes of some voters. Tibbetts noted that for her to win the award, the team will have to continue to maintain the high level of play they've established during their current three-game win streak.

"We need to keep winning. For her to win the MVP, you've got to be one of the better teams in this league. I think we've proven that...AT's not going to talk about herself in that conversation, but she just brings so much to our group each and every night."

Luckily for the Mercury, when they went through their rough patch on their five-game road trip, the second-place New York Liberty were also struggling, and they're just half a game ahead of Phoenix now. If the Mercury can keep playing well and rise up to second place in the standings, Thomas's MVP case will be impossible to ignore and she may become the favorite if Collier misses extended time.

The closest Thomas has come to taking home the award was in the 2023 season, when she finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year, behind The Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson, and second in MVP voting, behind the New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart. That year, AT actually had more first-place MVP votes than any other player, but still finished in second.

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