4 overlooked early WNBA MVP candidates, including Aliyah Boston

USA Today

4 days ago

4 overlooked early WNBA MVP candidates, including Aliyah Boston
Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson has won three of the last five WNBA MVP awards, including last year's honor. Could her reign come to an end in 2025 at the hands of someone unsuspecting?
Wilson had a history-breaking year in 2024. She had the WNBA and NBA's first 1,000-point season and led the league in rebounds and blocks, leaving any perceived competition in the dust. However, pulling off that kind of feat again in 2025 might be tough, and if you haven't been paying attention, there are already players quietly putting together early MVP cases to unseat Wilson.
Before the season even began, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark led the MVP odds. She backed up the early chatter by starting the year with a triple-double. However, Clark isn't the name you want to watch during the early parts of this season's race. It's her Fever teammate, forward/center Aliyah Boston, who leads a group of overlooked candidates.
4 overlooked WNBA MVP candidates for 2025
4. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Boston is quietly stringing together MVP-level performances. She has looked calm and composed operating within the paint now that forward Natasha Howard is next to her and Clark is finding her in critical moments. (Out of the 37 assists the Indiana guard has made through four games of action, 19 have gone to Boston. That's just over 50 percent of Clark's distribution.)
It's allowed her to play a lot more freely, and that's produced some early dividends. The former South Carolina product has four games of at least 63 percent shooting or better from the field, including two double-doubles of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. She also leads the league in blocks with 11 as of this publication and is also fifth in the league in total rebounds. That's what the kids call cooking.
3. Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks are experiencing a slew of injuries right now. Center Cameron Brink, who injured her ACL last June, is still out. Forward Rae Burrell is out until late June (possibly early July) with a right knee injury. Not to mention, forward Rickea Jackson and guard Julie Allemand also popped up on the status report for injuries, too. Who picks up the slack when that sort of thing happens? Veteran Kelsey Plum.
Plum opened her Sparks tenure with a 37-point outing against the poor Golden State Valkyries, who were just trying to launch their new franchise. She followed it up with five performances of 16 points or more, including three stat lines of 25 points or more. Plum's averaging 25.2 points and 5.5 points plus 2.7 steals through six games. Additionally, she leads the league in total points, made 3 pointers, and steals. Plum is also top-five in total assists. The question now becomes: can she sustain this sort of production?
2. Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Nneka Ogwumike won the WNBA MVP in 2016 and was in the MVP conversation last season, largely for being the unsung hero of the Seattle Storm. The former Stanford Cardinal landing on this list shouldn't come as a surprise. Ogwumike is ever-steady and often produces stat lines that are seemingly unsuspecting until you turn on the tape.
What stands out the most about her game is her efficiency and ability to exploit matchups. She has no problem going against some of the best post players in the WNBA, like A'ja Wilson or Alyssa Thomas, en route to stat lines of 20-plus points and five-plus rebounds. She's nearly averaging a double-double (18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds) of 54.7 percent shooting from the field so far this season and isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
1. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Perhaps the deepest sleeper on this list is Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray. Under new head coach Karl Smesko, Gray has been money from 3-point range. She's currently shooting a blistering 45.5 percent from behind the arc while being second in the league in made three pointers (just behind Kelsey Plum). She's also third in total points.
Gray has been most dangerous in catch-and-shoot situations. Her release is often so fast (Smesko's pace and five-out style of offense helps that) that teams are often late to react. The shooting guard has been in double digits through all six matchups the Dream have played and has been the leading scorer in three of those games. In other words, she's been a force, and her current average of 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and five assists doesn't appear to be a fluke. What happens after starting point guard Jordin Canada returns from a knee injury will be the real test.