A’ja Wilson is still the heavy favorite to win the MVP award for the 2026 season. However, late in the season, the race has become more intense with other stars playing remarkable basketball, including Caitlin Clark. While the MVP race intensifies, WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman picked her favorite from a much broader set of criteria than just the annual WNBA MVP award.
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“Yes, she’s in the MVP conversation. She is. If you match up her statistics and where the Fever are, [Clark has a case],” Lieberman said in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports when asked about “Caitlin Clark’s MVP case,” but as a whole, her pick was more direct, comparing her impact to what Taylor Swift has done for pop music.
“This new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the $2.2 billion changed everything. Salaries soared. They’re taking private jets right now. And the economic engine for this is Caitlin Clark…”
“She moves the financial needle more than any other player right now. It doesn’t mean that A’ja Wilson is not the best player in the world. She is. But, you know? The music industry, there’s some amazing, legendary talent. Taylor Swift moves the needle like nobody else.”
Clark is leading the league in assists and is at the helm of the WNBA’s best offense. She also tops the chart for most points created by a player. According to ‘Lady Magic,’ Clark has numbers, both individually and in how her team has performed, to back up her MVP case.
However, for now, Wilson is ahead of Caitlin Clark when it comes to the MVP race and the numbers on the court this season. Wilson leads the race to win the award (-1100). She is ahead of Miles (+1000) and Caitlin Clark (+2700). However, there is still a lot of time left in the 2026 season to swing the race, especially with Olivia Miles injuring her ankle in the Lynx’s last game against the Golden State Valkyries, with no promise of when she’ll return to the court.
The WNBA will pause its 2026 season from Aug. 31-Sep. 16 due to the 2026 FIBA World Cup. Moreover, there are still over two weeks of regular season remaining.
Wilson is in the midst of another historic season, averaging 25.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game on 51.8/40.5/86.1 shooting splits.
On the other hand, Caitlin Clark is averaging 21.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game on 44.4/35.4/85.1 shooting splits.
The race could get closer if the 2024 Rookie of the Year and the Fever heat up in the remaining games of the season, and the Aces go in the opposite direction. Miles’ injury would eventually put Caitlin Clark second behind Wilson.
Indiana is currently ranked fourth with a 24-13 record, just 1.5 wins behind the Aces. They don’t have an easy schedule either. In the remaining seven games, they would face the Minnesota Lynx twice, the Washington Mystics once, and the New York Liberty once.