Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was the unanimous choice as the WNBA MVP, the league announced Sunday.
The Aces' versatile forward averaged 26.9 points and 11.8 rebounds this season. She's only the second player to win the award unanimously, joining Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets, who did it in the league's inaugural 1997 season.
Wilson received all 67 first-place votes from a national media panel, making her a three-time award winner (2020 and 2022.) She's the fourth player in WNBA history to reach that milestone, joining Sherly Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (467 points) finished in second place, followed by New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (295 points), Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (130 points) and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (83 points) in fifth.
Wilson finished third in the MVP voting last year, receiving one fourth-place vote that she said fueled her after the Aces won their second straight WNBA title.
“It propelled me a little bit as I started my offseason workouts, but around February I was over it," she said. "I didn’t want to give that person that energy, that’s when I started to lock in.”
Wilson finished the regular season with 1,021 points, 451 rebounds and led the league with 98 blocks. The 6-foot-4 Wilson broke the WNBA single-season record for scoring average, which had been set by Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi in 2006 (25.3 ppg).
She had a season high 42 points against Dallas and a few days later dropped 41 against Phoenix. In all, she scored at least 20 points in 34 of her 38 games. She was relentless with rebounds, grabbing 9.8 defensive a game, the highest single-season average in league history.
Wilson's 11.87 rebound average is third-best in league history, trailing Angel Reese and Sylvia Fowles.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Las Vegas star A'ja Wilson is unanimous choice as WNBA MVP, winning the award for the third time
Las Vegas star A'ja Wilson is unanimous choice as WNBA MVP, winning the award for the third time
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
SEATTLE (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are again facing uncertainty at quarterback.
One week after starter Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion, backup Skylar Thompson left the game midway through the third quarter of Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Thompson had what coach Mike McDaniel called a painful rib injury, leaving the Dolphins with more questions at the most important position on the field after just three weeks of the season.
Thompson's final play was a 5-yard pass to De’Von Achane with 9:46 left in the third, but he took a hard shot on the previous drive when Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson hit him for a sack, one of five he took on the day.
Thompson finished 13 of 19 for 107 yards, and was replaced by Tim Boyle at quarterback.
“Half the pain or half of the frustration for him, I think was, he was really trying to find a way to not come out of the game,” McDaniel said. "And ultimately, it was pretty painful. He fought through it, but we’ll get a chance to look at him tomorrow.”
Thompson was slow to get up following the hit from Dodson and was slightly hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field. He returned for the next series, but stayed down for several minutes after completing the pass to Achane. Thompson remained on his back for a few minutes before sitting up and walking directly to the locker room.
The injury to Thompson came a little over a week after Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion in the past two years in a loss to Buffalo. Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, meaning he's not an option for the Dolphins for at least four games.
McDaniel didn't reveal what the Dolphins' plan is for the upcoming week if Thompson is unable to go for Miami's home matchup against Tennessee next Monday night. Miami did sign Tyler Huntley off the Ravens' practice squad earlier this week and he served as the third quarterback Sunday.
McDaniel sounded optimistic that the rest of the highly regarded offense would be able to bounce back, even with the team going through a roller-coaster couple of weeks under center.
“I think consistency has to be found from the nucleus in the group,” McDaniel said. “The guys that truly know the offense have to really be on it and we have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast. ... Those things happen, and you know, every single season, there’s teams that find a way to win football games when their starter, or even their backup, is out.”
It was the third significant injury for the Dolphins in the game after left tackle Terron Armstead (eye) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (concussion) were injured in the first half.
Fuller was hurt during the first quarter, was evaluated then ruled out early in the second half. Armstead’s injury was announced late in the second quarter and Kendall Lamm stepped in as his replacement.
Seattle lost significant depth on its defensive line with injuries to Byron Murphy II and Leonard Williams in the first half. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn't have updates on either injury.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, center, looks on from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson warms up before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
