In the culmination of a historic race, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart was named 2023 WNBA MVP on Tuesday. Stewart, who previously won the honor in 2018, is the eighth player in league history to win multiple MVP awards. She is also the third player, along with Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper, to win multiple MVPs, Finals MVPs and championships.
Stewart, the first Liberty player to win MVP, beat out Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson by an extremely narrow margin of 446 points compared to 439 for Thomas and 433 for Wilson. In fact, Stewart did not receive the most first-place votes — she had 20 compared to 23 for Thomas — but had enough second-place votes to make up the difference.
The seven-point difference between first and second place is the second-closest margin of all-time, behind only the 2005 race, in which Sheryl Swoopes won by two points over Lauren Jackson. The 13-point difference between first and third place is the closest ever. In addition, this is the second time, along with 2005, in which the MVP winner did not receive the most first-place votes.
Here’s a look at the full voting results for the top-five finishers. Players received 10…
