COLUMBIA, SC – South Carolina women’s basketball student A’ja Wilson was named the most valuable player in the 2020WNBA, the league announced today on ESPN’s The Jump. One of 10 Gamecocks playing at the WNBA since 1999, Wilson is the first to receive MVP honors from the league. Recognition in its third season follows the WNBA 2018 Rookie of the Year honors and the WNBA All-Star selections in 2018 and 2019.
“Since I met her, A’ja has loved the game of basketball, and the game has also loved her in the form of that recognition,” said South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. “We are proud of your excellent work in hardwood and of being an agent of change for social justice.”
Wilson obtained 43 out of 47 votes for first place and 458 points in total from a national panel of journalists and sports announcers.
In his third season at the WNBA, Wilson averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.23 steals in 31.7 minutes per game during the 22-game season . Striker 6-4 led the WNBA in blocks, took second place in the score and finished sixth in the recovery. Wilson also shot 48.0 percent of the field and 78.1 percent of the free-throw line. She led the WNBA in free throws made (118) and tried (151).
Wilson scored at least 20 points in 15 of 22 games, including the season’s record 31 points against the New York Liberty on August 9. She scored seven doubles (rebound points) and made two games with five blocks. Wilson was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month in August and September, with Las Vegas posting a combined record of 17-2 in those two months.
Behind Wilson, the Aces tied with the best record in the WNBA (18-4) during the regular season and won first place in the 2020 WNBA Playoffs presented by AT&T. Las Vegas received a double bye in the WNBA Semifinals, which will start on Sunday, September 20th.
Wilson was the No. 1 choice in the WNBA 2018 Draft, after a four-year university career that made her the most decorated student-athlete of any sport in South Carolina. She was the program’s first national player of the year, leading to marries honor unanimously in 2018, and the SEC’s first player of the year three times in SEC history. In addition to being four times All-American, including three first team selections, Wilson helped the Gamecocks in their first NCAA Final Four in 2015 and their first NCAA National Championship in 2017. Their teams were 57-7 combined in the SEC played on the way to three regular season titles, became the first team to win four consecutive SEC tournament crowns and won 89.0% of their games (129-16).
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