A’ja Second WNBA MVP Win
By Claire Miles - May 18, 2023

In a postgame interview with ESPN, A’ja Walker, who was named the 2018 WNBA MVP, said that she was “just trying to get buckets” before her team made it to the finals. She had been averaging 12.8 points per game during the postseason, which is an impressive feat for a player whose team is fighting for the championship. The 24-year-old native of Colorado is an incredible talent on the court and off it as well. She graduated from high school early to play for her hometown UConn Huskies women’s basketball team at the age of 17. After four years with the Huskies, she earned All-American honors twice and helped lead them to two national championships.

She then moved on to Tulsa Shock in 2017 where she began her professional career by averaging 11 points per game while shooting 56% from beyond the arc. The next year, Walker played in all 30 games for Tulsa as they claimed their second WNBA title in three seasons by defeating Los Angeles Sparks in five games during the playoffs. In 2018, A’ja was named MVP after leading her team with 24 points per game. A’ja Wilson is probably the most versatile player in the WNBA. Her game is about more than scoring points—it’s about making a difference for those around her.

Getty Images/AFP/William West

In the 2019 WNBA season, A’ja has averaged 18 points per game with 8 rebounds per game. She has helped her team win 19 games so far this year which puts them at 12-4 on the year so far. A’ja also has made history by becoming only the second player in WNBA history to win back-to-back MVP awards as well as becoming only the second player in WNBA history to score over 1,000 points during a season (she has scored 1,078 total points so far this year).