LAS VEGAS — Aces center A’ja Wilson on Sunday became the second player in WNBA history to win the league’s MVP award unanimously, receiving all 67 first-place votes for 670 points from a media panel.

The only other player to be unanimously named MVP was Houston guard Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (467 points) finished second in the voting on 66 of the 67 ballots. New York’s Breanna Stewart (295 points) received the other second vote and finished third overall.

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark (130 points) finished fourth, while Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas (83) rounded out the top five. Players received 10 points for first place, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

“When I look back and reflect, hopefully it touches my heart,” Wilson said Sunday of the unanimous choice. “It means a lot, it really does.”

Wilson previously won the MVP in 2020 and 2022. Last year, she finished third in one of the tightest MVP races in league history, finishing behind winner Stewart and runner-up Thomas. It lit a fire under an already hyper-competitive Wilson, who pulled away from the field early this season and never let anyone pass her.

“That was kind of my mindset for this year — I didn’t want to leave any doubt,” Wilson said. “I had to put myself out there and say, ‘This is what I’ve been working hard for, and now it’s time to show everything I’ve been working for.'”

Wilson became the first WNBA player to reach the 1,000-point mark in a season, finishing with 1,021 points and also setting the league record for rebounds in a season with 451.

“We always talk about, ‘Make your teammate great, and then you become the best,'” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “A’ja is a great example of that — making everyone around her great. She’s the best because that’s what she’s so passionate about: making others great.

“It was fun coaching her. She’s just a very, very talented person. I’m kind of out of adjectives. She’s amazing. She’s the best player in the world and she’s one of the best people in the world.”

Wilson joins three other players to win the MVP title for a third time: forward Sheryl Swoopes (Houston), center Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) and forward/center Lauren Jackson (Seattle). All are retired and in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Wilson led the WNBA this season in scoring (26.9), blocks (2.6), player efficiency rating (34.9) and win shares (10.9). Her scoring average is the highest ever for a WNBA season, surpassing Diana Taurasi’s 25.3 points per game in 2006.

Wilson’s rebounding (11.9 per game), block and steal (1.8) averages also are career highs. She has had two games this season with 40-plus points and nine others with 30 or more.

The 6-foot-3 Wilson scored at least 20 points in 89.5 percent of her games (34 of 38), which is also a WNBA single-season record.

Wilson led the Aces to the 2022 and 2023 WNBA championships and was the WNBA Finals MVP last season. The No. 1 draft pick out of South Carolina in 2018, he was that season’s Rookie of the Year. Wilson turns 28 in August and won her second Olympic gold medal last month.

Las Vegas is the fourth-seeded team in the playoffs and will take on fifth-seeded Seattle in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round series on Sunday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).