The voting results for the 2026 WNBA MVP Award were released on Thursday. And while there were some surprises, the winner was certainly no surprise to anybody.

Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson won her fifth WNBA MVP Award, and her third consecutive. She dominated the vote, getting 65 of the 74 total first-place votes, which made for 713 total points.

MVP runner-up was Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles. She received six first-place votes, 40 second-place votes, 15 third-place votes, eight fourth-place votes, and three fifth-place votes, making for 443 total points.

Third place came Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, who got 287 total votes (she received 25 third-place votes).

After Mitchell came her teammate, Fever star guard Caitlin Clark. This is her second time finishing at No. 4 in WNBA MVP voting, as she also did so in her rookie 2024 campaign. She received 212 total points through one first-place vote, six second-place votes, 20 third-place votes, 16 fourth-place votes, and 12 fifth-place votes.

Rounding out the top five was New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who tallied 171 total points.

A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was voted MVP for the fifth time. Rookie Olivia Miles finished second, followed by Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark of the Fever. pic.twitter.com/evxiaWMNvI

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) October 8, 2026WNBA MVP Voting Results Shows Surprising Guard Trend

The WNBA has always been known as a forward-dominant league, and the MVP results showcase that.

23 of the 29 MVP winners in WNBA history have been either forwards or centers, which makes up 79.3%. Just last year, the top three vote-getters (Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Alyssa Thomas) were forwards, with two guards (Allisha Gray and Kelsey Mitchell) coming in behind them.

But aside from Wilson once again at the top, this year’s results showed a surprising number of guards. There were three in the top five, taking up the No. 2, 3, and 4 spots, and Paige Bueckers finished at No. 6. This means four out of the top six players were guards and six out of the top 10.

This guard prevalence is indicative of where the league is going. There is an added emphasis on pace and shooting, both of which favor guard play over forwards. Plus, many of the league’s most dynamic players to enter the league over the past few seasons have been guards (namely Miles, Clark, and Bueckers).

This trend isn’t going anywhere. Forwards and centers will still be imperative, but they now need to incorporate some shooting into their game as well.

A guard hasn’t won the WNBA MVP award since Diana Taurasi did so in 2009. That’s a staggering 17 years.

But perhaps a guard can take the crown from Wilson in 2027.

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