Each season in each sport, one player’s performance reaches a level that can turn the season’s tide in favor of their team, making their presence so valuable to the club’s campaign that there’s a coveted award to honor them: the Most Valuable Player award.
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is no different: the league has named an MVP every year since its inaugural season in 1997. Curious which players, past and present, have earned the distinction of being named WNBA MVPs? Here’s the full list.
You can find out who will earn the WNBA MVP award at the end of the 2025 season and watch WNBA games every day, all season long right on DIRECTV.
How is the WNBA MVP Winner Determined?
So, who, exactly, decides which player rises to the level of most valuable player?
The WNBA MVP is determined by a panel of sportswriters through a voting process. Each panel member ranks their top five choices, and points are awarded to each player for the position on each ballot they are entered on: 10 for first, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, 1 for fifth. The player with the most total points wins the award.
WNBA MVPs: 1997 – Present
Here’s every player to receive the MVP award in the history of the WNBA.
- 2024 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
- 2023 – Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
- 2022 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
- 2021 – Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun
- 2020 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
- 2019 – Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
- 2018 – Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
- 2017 – Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
- 2016 – Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks
- 2015 – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky
- 2014 – Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx
- 2013 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
- 2012 – Tina Charles, Connecticut Sun
- 2011 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
- 2010 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
- 2009 – Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
- 2008 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
- 2007 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
- 2006 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
- 2005 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets (defunct)
- 2004 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
- 2003 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
- 2002 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets (defunct)
- 2001 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
- 2000 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets (defunct)
- 1999 – Yolanda Griffith, Sacramento Monarchs (defunct)
- 1998 – Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets (defunct)
- 1997 – Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets (defunct)
WNBA MVP Repeat Winners
Some WNBA players have been so dominant that they’ve won not just one, but two or even three WNBA MVP awards. Here’s the list of repeat WNBA MVP winners.
| Player | MVP Awards |
| A’ja Wilson | 3 |
| Lauren Jackson | 3 |
| Lisa Leslie | 3 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | 3 |
| Breanna Stewart | 2 |
| Elena Delle Donne | 2 |
| Candace Parker | 2 |
| Cynthia Cooper | 2 |
Which Player Has Earned the Most WNBA MVP Votes in a Single Season?
With 67 sportswriters on the voting panel, the highest number of votes a player can receive towards the WNBA MVP award is 670. Only two players have ever pulled off the feat of getting all 67 first-place votes in league history: Cynthia Cooper in 1997, the WNBA’s first season, and A’ja Wilson in 2024.
Has Caitlin Clark Ever Won WNBA MVP?
No, Caitlin Clark has never won a WNBA MVP award, but she came in fourth in the voting her rookie year.
Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2024.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the most WNBA MVP awards?
A'ja Wilson, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes are all tied at 3 for the most WNBA MVPs.
Did Caitlin Clark win WNBA MVP?
No, Caitlin Clark has not won WNBA MVP, but she did come in fourth in 2024.
How is the WNBA MVP decided?
A panel of 67 sportswriters decides via a voting process.
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