“A’ja is doing something great.” The back-to-back champion with the Aces got a huge shout out from her ‘second mother’ when she announced her signature line with Nike. Now, she has done something even more incredible after a historical season in the W. The Las Vegas Aces have begun their playoff campaign, shaking off a slow start against the Seattle Storm in Game 1. Leading the charge was the newly crowned MVP A’ja Wilson, who created history on the court in the regular season all year long. While it was speculated that she would be the undoubted winner, the question was whether Wilson would win it unanimously or not. And Sheryl Swoopes, at first, thought it would be the latter.

In the latest episode of her podcast with Jordan Robinson, ‘Queens of the Court’, the discussion was bound to begin with the happy news. Wilson has joined the elite company with her third MVP (2020, 2022) with Swoopes herself, as well as Lauren Jackson and Lisa Leslie. But the retired Houston Comets player asked on her podcast, “Did we know it was gonna be unanimous?”

Just last year, the Aces center ended up in third place in the voting. Swoopes addressed that by saying, “We knew it should have been [unanimous], but let’s not forget, she did receive a fourth place vote last year. So there was a part of me that said it should be unanimous but ain’t gonna happen.”

As it turned out, A’ja Wilson won the prestigious honor with all 67 first-place votes, a feat not seen in the inaugural WNBA season in 1997, when Swoopes’ teammate Cynthia Cooper won the MVP unanimously. “So, lemme go back and say, I was wrong, ya’ll got it right, she was unanimous and I’m happy,” the former pro added on the podcast. Swoopes had also congratulated the young LV player in a post with other 3x MVPs as well.

“Congratulations on becoming a three-time MVP. What an incredible accomplishment! I am truly in awe of your greatness,” said one of the W’s top 15 players of all time to A’ja Wilson. And while the 28-year-old is on a path to unbidden success, maybe even more than 3 MVPs, as Leslie suggested, Swoopes thinks she’s just getting started.

“A’ja is on a whole another level,” endorses Sheryl Swoopes

The day A’ja Wilson scored 1000 points in a season as the first player in the league’s almost three decades of existence, it was almost certain that she would win the MVP not just this year, but probably for years to come. While it was pressure off Wilson’s back to finally achieve what she had been gearing toward since May, Sheryl Swoopes was in awe.

The WNBA Hall of Famer said of the feat on ‘Gil’s Arena‘, “She scored 1000 points in a season. One season, which has never been done before. …‘A’ja is on a whole another level. … I think people use the term ‘GOAT’ for anybody that’s a really good player. … I would say she’s absolutely in the conversation because what she’s doing this season has never been done before.”

This, coming from someone who played with the likes of Cooper, Tina Thompson, Sue Bird, and was an impressive player in her own right, is a huge thing in itself. That anonymous voter who put Wilson in fourth place last year stoked a dangerous fire and while some would say that this is the highest peak Wilson can reach, it’s just the beginning!