This has been a record-breaking season across the WNBA, but it might be most remembered for the stunning MVP race between the reigning winner A’ja Wilson and the 2018 honoree Breanna Stewart. After finishing 1-2 in a photo finish in 2022, the league’s two brightest stars ran it back this summer in even more compelling fashion.
With the regular season now in the books, and my official award ballot submitted, let’s take a closer look at this extremely narrow race and pick a winner.
Overall numbers
We’ll begin with a quick rundown of each player’s stats.
Basic
|
Stewart |
40 |
23.0 |
9.3 |
3.8 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
46.5 |
35.5 |
85.1 |
|
Wilson |
40 |
22.8 |
9.5 |
1.6 |
1.4 |
2.2 |
55.7 |
31.0 |
81.2 |
Advanced
|
Stewart |
58.5 |
15.5 |
19.5 |
2.2 |
3.8 |
6.9 |
27.5 |
10.3 |
|
Wilson |
62.7 |
17.9 |
9.2 |
2.2 |
6.0 |
7.9 |
28.9 |
10.4 |
To little surprise they were both phenomenal and put together historic seasons. Stewart had a career-high in both scoring and assists, while Wilson had career-highs in scoring, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage.
There’s little to separate either player here, with Stewart’s playmaking advantage standing out as the one significant difference. While Wilson’s field goal percentage is much higher, her lead in the efficiency department is less glaring when you consider true shooting percentage,…
