Becky Hammon Rips WNBA MVP Narratives A’ja Wilson Faces

With just two weeks left in the regular season, the WNBA MVP race has narrowed to three names: Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas.

While Collier and Thomas have drawn strong cases from voters, Aces head coach Becky Hammon is increasingly vocal about what she sees as a flawed process that overlooks Wilson’s dominance.

After Las Vegas defeated Chicago on Aug. 25, Hammon called the MVP debate’s framing “irritating,” arguing that voters arrive with prewritten storylines instead of starting fresh each year.

“I mean, she’s number one in total points, number one in total rebounds. She’s top in every category possible,” Hammon said of Wilson, according to The Ballers Magazine. “And it’s a little irritating, the [MVP] narrative. You’ve got to come into this open-minded every season if you’re a voter. And I think there was an early narrative and an early handout. To me, the best teller is efficiency. How efficient are what you’re doing?”

Hammon pointed to past seasons when Breanna Stewart and now Collier seemed to be positioned as front-runners before the season unfolded.

“The media always makes their own narrative [about MVP] out of the gate,” Hammon said earlier this month. “You know, [Napheesa] was winning it coming into this year. I think they made it with [Breanna Stewart] winning it in ’23. And they just decide, instead of just really digging into the numbers.”

Read more: WNBA CBA Agreement Receives Brutal Update

Wilson, the reigning MVP, has piled up those numbers. She was named Western Conference Player of the Week for Aug. 18–24, her 27th career weekly honor and fifth this season, tying Candace Parker for second all-time behind Tina Charles (33). She averaged 29.0 points on 53.2% shooting, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 2.0 assists during the Aces’ 3-0 week.

Wilson recently became the fastest player in league history to reach 5,500 career points and is the youngest to pair that mark with 2,000 rebounds. She also stands alone as the only player with three career games of at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.

Through Aug. 25, Wilson leads the WNBA in total points (789), total rebounds (346), blocks per game (2.2), second-chance points (3.9), points off turnovers (4.4), and player efficiency rating (32.3). She ranks second in scoring average (23.2 ppg), rebounding average (10.2 rpg), and total blocks (74).

Read more: Wings HC Rips Into WNBA Officials Over Paige Bueckers Treatment

The Aces are riding an 11-game winning streak with Wilson averaging 26.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.8 blocks over that span. They face Atlanta on Wednesday before a September schedule that includes two meetings with Chicago and a key matchup against Minnesota.

Hammon’s sharp words reflect a wider debate across the league: whether MVP voting should reward fresh narratives or the consistent excellence of the league’s most dominant player. In her view, Wilson leaves little doubt.

“There can’t be a narrative going into the season,” Hammon said. “A’ja is having a ridiculous season again… night after night after night. There’s not a more dominant player.”

Make sure to follow Newsweek Sports for all Las Vegas Aces and WNBA news and updates.