A’ja Wilson thanks Dawn Staley, South Carolina basketball in accepting 2024 WNBA MVP award

A’ja Wilson sat between her college coach, Dawn Staley, and her WNBA coach, Becky Hammon, and got choked up thinking about the impact they have had on her life.

That was back in May at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The Las Vegas Aces center spoke to the media before an Aces preseason game, and she thanked Staley for making her into the person she has become.

Four months later, Wilson stood before the media Sunday night in Las Vegas in a bright red pantsuit after being named the 2024 WNBA MVP. Again, she recognized the influence the South Carolina women’s basketball coach has had on her life and career.

“I want to thank South Carolina and Coach Staley,” said Wilson, who also mentioned her family. “I truly wouldn’t be standing here today without the hard work and sacrifices made by all those people . . . it’s humbling to walk a path paved by so many legends of this game, those who made this league what it is today.”

Wilson earned all 67 first-place votes for 670 points to become the second player in WNBA history to win the MVP unanimously — Cynthia Cooper did it in 1997.

Wilson, who was named league MVP in 2020 and 2022, joins Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as three-time MVP winners. The award comes one week after Wilson broke the WNBA record for most points in a single season, and five days after she broke the single-season rebounding record. She finished her seventh season with a league-high average of 26.9 points per game.

Staley coached Wilson at South Carolina from 2014 to 2018, and Staley won her first NCAA championship with Wilson in 2017. Wilson holds the program’s career records in points (2,389), blocked shots (363), free throws made (597) and free throws attempted (835).

On Sunday morning, Staley took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to hype up Wilson.

“THE UNANIMOUS MVP OF@WNBA BELONGS TO@_ajawilson22! Congrats A! Deserving! Earned! And Forced this one! And to the voters I’m proud to say you represented the game well….see yall for @WNBA DPOY soon,” Staley wrote.

The Aces finished the 2024 regular season as the No. 4 seed and face the No. 5 Seattle Storm in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

THE MOMENT: Look: Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson learns she won her third WNBA MVP award

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin