A’ja Wilson Leads WNBA GM Poll as Heavy MVP Favorite for 2026 Season

As the WNBA prepares to tip off its 30th season, the league’s decision-makers have made their expectations clear: the road to the title and the MVP trophy still runs through Las Vegas. In the annual WNBA GM Survey released Tuesday, A’ja Wilson was overwhelmingly selected as the favorite to claim what would be a record-extending fifth Most Valuable Player award. Following a historic 2025 campaign, Wilson remains the gold standard for a league that continues to see unprecedented growth and talent.

What You Need to Know

The WNBA GM Survey is a comprehensive poll that asks all 15 general managers to evaluate the league’s landscape, covering everything from championship predictions to the best defensive players. To ensure objective results, GMs are prohibited from voting for their own players or coaches. This year’s poll arrives during a transformative period for the WNBA, which is seeing a massive surge in popularity driven by a mix of established superstars and a new wave of recognizable college talent entering the professional ranks.

A’ja Wilson’s dominance in the poll is backed by a resume that has redefined consistency in women’s basketball. After leading the Aces to their third title in four years in 2025, Wilson enters the 2026 season not just as a scoring threat, but as the league’s premier defensive anchor. GMs also recognized her as the best leader in the league and the player who forces the most tactical adjustments from opposing coaching staffs.

The 2026 season also marks a significant expansion of the league’s competitive depth. With new stars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers settling into their professional roles, the “old guard” represented by Wilson and New York’s Breanna Stewart is facing a fresh challenge. However, the survey results suggest that while the league is getting younger and faster, the elite hierarchy at the top remains firmly in place.

GMs Predict Another Dominant Year for the Aces

The poll results were a landslide for Wilson, who captured 60% of the MVP votes (nine of the 15 GMs). Her closest competitor, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, received 27% of the vote, while Caitlin Clark and Allisha Gray each picked up a single vote. Beyond the individual accolades, the Las Vegas Aces were chosen as the most likely team to win the 2026 WNBA Championship, holding off the Liberty and a rising Atlanta Dream squad.

The survey also highlighted a surprising shift in the rookie landscape. While Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 overall pick for the Dallas Wings, it was the No. 2 pick, Olivia Miles of the Minnesota Lynx, who captured 73% of the GM votes for Rookie of the Year. This discrepancy suggests that GMs may value Miles’ playmaking and immediate fit in Cheryl Reeve’s system over Fudd’s elite scoring potential in a crowded Dallas backcourt.

Other notable findings from the 42-question survey included the Dallas Wings being voted as the most improved team and the “most fun to watch.” Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers was named the player that GMs would most want to sign if they were starting a franchise today, narrowly beating out both Wilson and Clark for the honor of the league’s best building block.

Why This Matters

For American fans and new viewers attracted to the WNBA’s recent “Caitlin Clark effect,” this poll provides a vital roadmap for the upcoming season. It serves as a reminder that while newcomers draw the headlines, the competitive excellence of players like A’ja Wilson remains the league’s foundation. For bettors and fantasy sports enthusiasts, these GM insights are often the most accurate predictors of how the season’s narrative will unfold.

The poll also reflects the internal perception of the league’s evolution. By favoring the Aces to repeat and Wilson to win another MVP, the GMs are signaling that they believe the current dynasty in Las Vegas has not yet reached its expiration date. For the 14 other teams, the challenge is clear: the bar has been set, and it is exceptionally high.

NCN Analysis

The most intriguing takeaway from this year’s survey isn’t Wilson’s favoritism—which was expected—but the lack of votes for a “breakout” from the younger stars in the MVP category. GMs are notoriously conservative, preferring to see sustained success over several seasons before crowning a new MVP favorite. The fact that Caitlin Clark only received one vote suggests that while she is a marketing juggernaut, the league’s executives believe she still has a gap to close in terms of overall impact compared to a two-way force like Wilson.

Watch for the Las Vegas Aces to use this poll as further fuel for their “repeat” campaign. Under Becky Hammon, the Aces have mastered the art of maintaining focus despite being the constant targets of the rest of the league. If Wilson stays healthy, a fifth MVP isn’t just a possibility; it seems like an inevitability based on the respect she commands from the league’s front offices. The real battle will be in the Rookie of the Year race, where Olivia Miles appears ready to disrupt the “No. 1 pick” narrative.

The WNBA regular season officially begins this Friday, May 8.

Reported by the NCN Editorial Team