It’s not how you start the season; it’s how you close it out.

After the shaky start to 2025, in which the Las Vegas Aces posted an 11-11 mark leading into All-Star Weekend, the Aces flipped the switch in the second half of the year. Since the midway break, the Aces have hit their stride and gone 16-3. Where before the break the Aces were just hoping to be in a position to earn a postseason berth, they are now in contention for the No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs and are on a franchise-record 13-game winning streak with three games remaining on the slate.

The turnaround has been driven by A’ja Wilson, the overwhelming leading contender for 2025 WNBA M’VP, as well as Defensive Player of the Year. In leading the Aces to a 16-3 record since the break, Wilson has averaged 24.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg and 2.1 bpg while shooting 52% from the field, 48.1% from 3-point and 87.8% from the line.

During the team’s franchise-record 13-game winning streak, Wilson has put up beyond M’VP numbers: 27.2 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg and 2.0 bpg and hitting on 53.3% of her shots from the field.

It’s not just Wilson’s on-court presence and leadership; she steers the ship off the court as well. After the Aces suffered a 53-point defeat to Minnesota – the lone loss for Las Vegas in their last 16 games, Wilson texted her teammates with a strong message, “(I sent) a message to them and just said, ‘if you weren’t embarrassed from yesterday, then don’t come into this gym. We need the mindset to shift because that was embarrassing.’”

Her teammates took that to heart and the Aces have not lost since.

Their most recent victory was a Sept. 4 rematch against No. 1 Minnesota (32-9) in which Las Vegas exacted a bit of revenge, 97-87. Not only did they the Aces win by 10 points and score the most the Lynx have allowed this season, Wilson scored 31 points on 12 of 15 (.800) from the field, 1 of 1 from 3-point and 6 of 7 from the line; grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 2 assists, had a pair of blocks and added 1 steal.

To further underscore her dominance this year, only 1 player in the history of the league has averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal over the course of a season. That person is none other than the only choice for M’VP, A’ja Wilson (23.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, ,3.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.2 bpg).

And even if she drops slightly over the final three games, there is just one other occasion in the league’s history in which a player who saw action in at least half her team’s games averaged at least 20 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal: A’ja Wilson in 2024.

*In looking at the overall season, Wilson leads the league in …

• Player of the Week honors (5)
• Points (872)
• Points per game (23.6)
• Defensive Rebounds (290)
• Blocks per game (2.2)
• Stocks (139)
• Stocks per game (3.76)
• 20-point games (tied-23)
• 25-point games (16)
• 30-point games (12, tied for most in a single season)
• Win shares (8.3)
• Player efficiency rating (32.8)
• Offensive win shares (5.5)
• Usage (32.2)
• 30/20 games (1)
• 20/20 games (1)
• 20-point double-doubles (14)
• 30-point double-doubles (9)

Wilson Ranks Second in the League in …

• Defensive rebounds per game (7.8)
• Total rebounds (372)
• Rebounds per game (10.1)
• Total blocks (82)

Additionally, Wilson …

• Recorded a league-high nine 30-point 4×4 games in 2025 (making a mark in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) and is the only player to post a single such game with zero turnovers this year. She has accomplished the 30-point 4×4 mark a league-high 23 times in her career (3 times with zero turnovers).
• Recorded the first 30/20 game in league history
• Ranks No. 3 for double-doubles (19)
• Ranks No. 4 (tie) for steals (57)
• Ranks No. 9 for steals per game (1.54)
• Earned a league-record 13th Player of the Month for August after averaging 29 ppg, 12.7 ppg, 2.0 apg and 2.7 bpg in leading the Aces to a 12-1 slate.
• Her 5th Western Conference Player of the Week honor raised her career numbers to a league second-best 27.

*All stats as of games played through Sept. 4.