The 2026 WNBA regular season hit the record books, with Olivia Miles scoring more points than any rookie ever and an unbelievable 14 of 15 teams rocking an offensive rating over 100. But let’s be honest, the talk of the town, the absolute biggest news, has to be A’ja Wilson snagging her fifth Most Valuable Player award. This woman continues to dominate, leading the league in scoring and blocks for the third-consecutive year, a feat absolutely unheard of. Even with offense raging like never before, these individual performances made award voting tougher than ever, but some choices just scream out.
A’ja Wilson’s MVP Reign Continues Unchecked
You might think consistent excellence gets boring, but not with A’ja Wilson. When the defending champs need a bucket, or a crucial stop, they still look to No. 22 for the answer. And she delivers, every single time. She’s the first player in WNBA history to lead the league in scoring and blocks for three seasons in a row, which is just bonkers. In a season where everyone was putting up points, nobody did it better than Wilson. She averaged a league-best 26.2 points per game. Then you flip to the other end, and she’s still leading the pack with 1.9 blocks per game, number one in the WNBA! Oh, and she added 1.4 steals a game, good for 13th in the league. Her plus-minus? A staggering +368, the best in the entire WNBA. When you break it all down, Wilson isn’t just the best offensive player; she’s also on a very short list of the league’s best defensive players. Her team simply scores more with her on the court than anyone else. Five MVPs, people. Five.
Angel Reese: The Ultimate Defensive Nightmare
If Wilson owns the offense, then Angel Reese is the undisputed queen of defense, taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award. Reese has always been a disruptor, but she cranked that up to 11 in 2026. Inside the paint, she was a black hole, just devouring anything that dared to come her way. Seriously, every offensive possession against the Atlanta Dream became a frantic game of “Where is Angel Reese?” as opponents desperately tried to avoid her while running down the clock. Statistically, the numbers back it up big time. Reese led the WNBA in defensive win shares with an incredible 3.39. She also boasted the best defensive rating differential at -15.5. Think about this: opponents shot 51.8 percent on 2-pointers when she was on the court. But when she hit the bench, the Dream allowed a brutal 59.4 percent shooting on 2-pointers! Teams shot 7.5 percent worse on non-3-point shots with her playing, which was the biggest negative differential in the entire WNBA. That’s a game-changer.
These awards just highlight the incredible talent absolutely tearing up the WNBA right now. A’ja Wilson’s fifth MVP means we’re watching a living legend in her prime, and the real question is: how many more can she stack before she’s done? For Angel Reese, taking DPOY shows she’s not just a disruptor; she’s *the* disruptor. You gotta wonder if teams will ever figure out how to score in the paint when she’s lurking. What a season for these two absolute game-changers, and sports fans everywhere, we better get ready for more fireworks as their careers keep exploding!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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