July 16, 2025, Arlington, Texas, USA: Las Vegas Aces center AJA WILSON 22 reacts to a play during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings at College Park Center. Las Vegas wins 90-86. Arlington USA - ZUMAf180 20250716_zsp_f180_013 Copyright: xMarkxFannx
July 16, 2025, Arlington, Texas, USA: Las Vegas Aces center AJA WILSON 22 reacts to a play during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings at College Park Center. Las Vegas wins 90-86. Arlington USA - ZUMAf180 20250716_zsp_f180_013 Copyright: xMarkxFannx
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson remains a favorite to win the WNBA MVP title for the third time in a row, even as Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has also emerged as a challenger. However, one podcaster explained that it was difficult to compare the two.
In a recent X post shared on August 29, Jaime Lardis reasoned that point guards and centers have different strengths and different roles in the team, which makes it difficult to judge who is a better player.
“Caitlin Clark vs. A’ja Wilson is the closest MVP debate. It’s hard to compare a PG and a center. Caitlin is the offense, controls the offense and creates for others; all A’ja does is wait gets the ball and go score. Caitlin will naturally have more assists, while A’ja will naturally have more rebounds. Different positions, different responsibilities,” Lardis wrote on X.
2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament - USA Women s national team, Nationalteam V Senegal Caitlin Clark plays during the game at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament between USA and Senegal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 11, 2026, at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. San Juan Puerto Rico PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xEdgardoxMedinax originalFilename:medinamillan-notitle260311_np1zP.jpg
2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament - USA Women s national team, Nationalteam V Senegal Caitlin Clark plays during the game at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament between USA and Senegal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 11, 2026, at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. San Juan Puerto Rico PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xEdgardoxMedinax originalFilename:medinamillan-notitle260311_np1zP.jpg
According to Lardis’ August 29 X post, Clark is a part of the offense. Her duties involve calling out plays and creating opportunities to score for all her teammates, giving her a higher number of assists per game, but fewer rebounds.
Wilson on the other hand, is a center, who guards the basket and goes in for close-range shots, and intercepts defensive rebounds to her advantage. This explained why Wilson had a lower number of assists compared to Clark, but a higher number of rebounds.
With the 2026 WNBA regular season in its final stretch, it won’t be long before the voting for this season’s MVP begins. But, based on what Lardis explained, reaching a choice between Clark and Wilson could be difficult.
What’s more, Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell and Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles are also in the MVP race, further intensifying the competition.
One former three-time WNBA MVP winner has also named her pick, expressing her opinion on who deserves to be named MVP.
WNBA legend Lauren Jackson names her 2026 MVP pick
According to an August 27 report by All-Star Magazine, Australian former basketball player Lauren Jackson named Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers as worthy MVP candidates.
However, she believes that A’ja Wilson is the one who should actually win it again this year, making it her fifth MVP award overall.
“A’ja. A’ja Wilson,” Jackson said, per the All-Star report. “"There are so many great players over there. Obviously, I love Stewie. She's a great player. But there's also Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. Actually, I'm naming everyone now, but I would say A'ja."
This season, Wilson has maintained a record of 26.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game during the regular season. She also became the fastest player to reach 6,000 career points, in just 278 games, bringing her closer to the 2026 MVP title.
Written by
Arundhoti Palit
Edited by
Arundhoti Palit