The 2025 WNBA playoffs are well underway, but one important question remains: Who will win the MVP award? It has basically boiled down to a two-player race, consisting of A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier. Both superstars have compelling cases, but WNBA legend Candace Parker raises one question, which may end up being the deciding factor.
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If the WNBA season had concluded on August 3, Napheesa Collier may have been the unanimous pick for MVP. Not only was she putting up incredible statistics on the year, averaging 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, she spearheaded the top team in the league, the Minnesota Lynx.
Unfortunately, she suffered an injury which saw he on the sidelines for 22 days. In that time, A’ja Wilson took a 14-14 Las Vegas Aces team and propelled them to 16 consecutive wins to close out the season; a truly remarkable feat for the reigning MVP.
Wilson may not be dominating the league at the same rate she did last season. But she continues to thrive while putting up 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. The two-time WNBA champion certainly has the narrative supporting her MVP case, but one specific area may prove to be her downfall.
“My question was, would there be voter fatigue?” Parker said on the Post Moves podcast. “I think there’s a lot of players that probably deserve more MVPs, but because they have won it before [it hurts their chances of winning it again].”
It might not make sense to many, but voter fatigue is a real thing. Although there’s amazing talent in the sports, sometimes there’s a single player whose dominance is far too great. The NBA is a great example, one that Parker uses to support her argument.
“Similar to the Jordan era, Karl Malone got one, Charles Barkley got one. Jordan probably should have had more MVPs. Same with LeBron. I feel like LeBron got to four and people were like, ‘Alright, that’s enough,'” Parker said.
Voters’ fatigue could certainly hurt Wilson’s chances, but the voting process may come down to what the voters prioritize. Do they believe Collier’s dominance to begin the season is worth more, or is Wilson’s late-season push more impressive?
At least for Parker and Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston, they both sided with Wilson. Boston believes that it isn’t a hard decision in the slightest.
“I feel like this is kind of self-explanatory at this point. I have to go with A’ja. She literally leads the league in every category. Legit every category,” Boston said.
The crazy thing is, Boston isn’t even exaggerating. Wilson is first in the WNBA in total points, points per game, blocks per game, total rebounds, defensive rebounds, 30+ point games and 30+ point double-doubles. That is quite a ridiculous resume to hold.
It’ll be interesting which player wins out amongst the chosen media members. Both players are deserving, but only time will tell who is truly the one to hold the 2025 MVP trophy.
