The Las Vegas Aces are WNBA champions yet again, and A'ja Wilson is the 2023 WNBA Finals MVP. Wilson's brilliant 24-point, 16-rebound effort in Game 4 helped the shorthanded Aces defeat the New York Liberty and become the first team to go back-to-back in more than two decades.
This is the first Finals MVP for Wilson, who came up just short in the regular season MVP race, but she would not be denied in the postseason. With her new team and individual trophies, Wilson joins Lisa Leslie as the only players with multiple titles, multiple MVPs, multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Finals MVP.
The Aces were without star point guard Chelsea Gray and starting center Kiah Stokes for Game 4, which left even more responsibility on Wilson's shoulders. She responded by carrying her team to the finish line, scoring 15 of her 24 points in the second half, while patrolling the paint on the other end.
It was her teammates, however, that Wilson thanked for making the honor possible.
"My teammates, we lean on each other so much at this time," Wilson said. "We fought through so much adversity throughout the season. We kept the main thing the main thing, and we came out on top. I can't express how proud I am of my teammates. They picked me up when I was down. We cried together, we prayed together, and now we're popping champagne together."
🏆 M’ V P 🏆@_ajawilson22 is your 2023 WNBA Finals MVP!#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/WQYysU16V1
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023
Over the four-game series, Wilson averaged 21.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game on 50% shooting. For the entire playoffs, she put up 23.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks on 55.4% from the field, in what was one of the best runs to a title we've ever seen.
