A’ja Wilson has been in the WNBA since 2018. She has four MVP awards, three championships, and now the richest deal in league history. And somehow, entering her ninth season, she’s coming in with more to prove.
That was the energy coming out of Wilson’s preseason media availability — relaxed, sharp, and clear about the mission. Year 9 isn’t a victory lap. It’s a defense.
The Aces return their championship core almost entirely intact: Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, and NaLyssa Smith are all back, with Chennedy Carter, Brianna Turner, and Stephanie Talbot added to deepen the roster. Vegas lost just 10% of their scoring from last season’s title run, and Wilson remains the gravitational center of everything they do.
What’s different heading into 2026 is the landscape around her. The league expanded to 15 teams with Portland and Toronto joining for the first time. There are genuine contenders — the New York Liberty reloaded, the Indiana Fever have a healthy Caitlin Clark, and the Atlanta Dream added Angel Reese. The race is real.
But so is Wilson. At 29, with a supermax contract and a chip on her shoulder, she enters preseason as the +250 betting favorite for MVP — trailing only Caitlin Clark in the odds, despite winning the award in back-to-back years. If that reads like disrespect, Wilson has spent her career turning that kind of fuel into trophies.
Year 9. The champs are here. And the M’VP is setting the tone.