WNBA Most Valuable Player Award
| Women's National Basketball Association awards and honors |
|---|
| Championship |
| Commissioner's Cup Champions |
| Individual awards |
| Honors |
The Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season in 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular season. The award recipient is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States. Panel members were asked to select their top five choices for the award, with 10 points being awarded for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.
In 2008, fans could also have a say in who won the award. Fans were able to vote online for their top five MVP picks. These selections accounted for 25% of the total vote, while the media panel's selections accounted for the other 75%.
Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson and A'ja Wilson have won the award the most times, with three selections each. Two players have won the award with different franchises—Elena Delle Donne in 2015 with the Chicago Sky and 2019 with the Washington Mystics, and Breanna Stewart in 2018 with the Seattle Storm and 2023 with the New York Liberty. Cynthia Cooper and Candace Parker and have also won the award twice.
Candace Parker is the only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season—2008.
Jackson, both born and trained in Australia, is the only award winner trained outside the United States.
The sculptor of the WNBA MVP Award is Marc Mellon, who is also the sculptor of the NBA MVP Trophy.
Winners
[edit]
- Legend
| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the WNBA |
| * | Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| † | Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Denotes player whose team won championship that year | |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been named MVP |
| Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
- ^ Second-place finisher, Alyssa Thomas, received more first-place votes (23 to Stewart's 20), but Stewart earned 446 total points to Thomas' 439.
Multi-time winners
[edit]| Awards | Player | Team(s) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | 2000, 2002, 2005 |
| Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | 2001, 2004, 2006 | |
| Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm | 2003, 2007, 2010 | |
| A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | 2020, 2022, 2024 | |
| 2 | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | 1997, 1998 |
| Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks | 2008, 2013 | |
| Elena Delle Donne | Chicago Sky / Washington Mystics | 2015, 2019 | |
| Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm / New York Liberty | 2018, 2023 |
Teams
[edit]| Awards | Teams | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2016 |
| 5 | Houston Comets | 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005 |
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 2003, 2007, 2010, 2018 |
| 3 | Las Vegas Aces | 2020, 2022, 2024 |
| 2 | Minnesota Lynx | 2014, 2017 |
| Connecticut Sun | 2012, 2021 | |
| 1 | Sacramento Monarchs | 1999 |
| Phoenix Mercury | 2009 | |
| Indiana Fever | 2011 | |
| Chicago Sky | 2015 | |
| Washington Mystics | 2019 | |
| New York Liberty | 2023 | |
| 0 | Dallas Wings | None |
| Atlanta Dream |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sparks' Candace Parker Named 2013 WNBA Most Valuable Player". WNBA. September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Lynx's Moore Named M.V.P." The New York Times. August 22, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Sky's Elena Delle Donne Named 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player Presented By Samsung". WNBA. September 15, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike named WNBA MVP for 2016 season". ESPN. September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ Borzi, Pat (September 14, 2017). "Sylvia Fowles wins 1st MVP award after lifting Lynx with big year". ESPN. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Seattle's Breanna Stewart Named 2018 Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. WNBA. August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Washington's Elena Delle Donne Named 2019 WNBA Basketball Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 19, 2019.
- ^ "A'ja Wilson Named WNBA Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Connecticut Sun's Jonquel Jones Named 2021 Kia Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson Wins 2022 KIA WNBA Most Valuable Player Award". wnba.com (Press release). New York, NY: WNBA. September 7, 2022.
- ^ "New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart Wins 2023 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player Award" (Press release). WNBA. September 26, 2023.
- ^ Voepel, Michael (September 22, 2024). "Aces' A'ja Wilson becomes second unanimous MVP in WNBA history". ESPN. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
External links
[edit]- "WNBA MVP Award - Marc Mellon Sculpture Studio". Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- "WNBA MVP". Retrieved January 19, 2009.