WNBA Most Valuable Player Award


The Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season -- 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular season. The award recipient is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States. Panel members were asked to select their top five choices for the award, with 10 points being awarded for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.
In 2008, fans could also have a say in who won the award. Fans were able to vote online for their top five MVP picks. These selections accounted for 25% of the total vote, while the media panel's selections accounted for the other 75%.
Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson have won the award three times. Elena Delle Donne is the only player to have won the award with two different teams—in 2015 with the Chicago Sky and 2019 with the Washington Mystics.
Candace Parker is the only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season -- 2008.
Jackson, both born and trained in Australia, is the only award winner either born or trained outside the United States.
The sculptor of the WNBA MVP Award is , who is also the sculptor of the NBA MVP Trophy.

Winners

SeasonPlayerPositionNationalityTeam
1997 # *GuardHouston Comets
1998 # * GuardHouston Comets
1999 CenterSacramento Monarchs
2000 # *Guard / ForwardHouston Comets
2001 # *CenterLos Angeles Sparks
2002* Guard / ForwardHouston Comets
2003Forward / CenterSeattle Storm
2004 * CenterLos Angeles Sparks
2005* Guard / ForwardHouston Comets
2006 * CenterLos Angeles Sparks
2007 Forward / CenterSeattle Storm
2008 ^ForwardLos Angeles Sparks
2009 # ^GuardPhoenix Mercury
2010 # Forward / CenterSeattle Storm
2011*ForwardIndiana Fever
2012 ^CenterConnecticut Sun
2013 ^ ForwardLos Angeles Sparks
2014 ^ForwardMinnesota Lynx
2015 ^Guard / ForwardChicago Sky
2016 # ^ForwardLos Angeles Sparks
2017 # ^CenterMinnesota Lynx
2018 # ^ForwardSeattle Storm
2019 # ^ Guard / ForwardWashington Mystics