The WNBA has entered some interesting territory. While the teams are pushing hard to book a playoff berth, the race for the MVP has also become intense. With each passing game, new predictions regarding the MVP choice are coming up. Just the other day, Satou Sabally pushed Alyssa Thomas as the WNBA MVP frontrunner. And now, Sue Bird has followed suit.
Bird is one of the most respected voices in the realm of WNBA. Thus, her opinion on the issue holds significant weight for fans and critics alike. And quite surprisingly, she came up with a bold choice.
Sue Bird Endorses Napheesa Collier For This Year’s WNBA MVP
Bird recently appeared in a recent episode of the ‘A Touch More’ podcast. Weighing in on who she thought would edge out the other MVP contender, Bird’s response was straightforward. She inclined towards Napheesa Collier to pick up the crown this time around. The WNBA legend stated that after coming back from injury, Collier immediately dropped 32 points. And that speaks volumes about her quality as a hooper.
“What has really kept me in the Phee camp, is her first game back from injury, she had 32 points, 9 rebounds, shot almost 70% from the field. Yeah. That’s crazy. And like you said, it’s best player on best team, by a mile, and when that’s happening, it’s hard to turn away from [Collier],” Bird said.
Continuing with her analysis, Bird also stated that A’ja Wilson has also done some phenomenal things this season. But while she did give Wilson her flowers, her favorite choice did not change. However, while the WNBA icon is siding with Collier, there are some more names that are doing the rounds. In recent reports, A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Mitchell moved up the WNBA MVP rankings. And adding further to the intrigue, Becky Hammon has strongly favored Wilson.
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Becky Hammon Pushes For A’ja Wilson, Contradicting Sue Bird’s Take
Bird might be convinced that with very few games left in the league, Collier’s stats look pretty impressive. But that is not the case with Las Vegas Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon, who begs to differ with the WNBA legend. Speaking on the issue a few days back, Hammon strongly endorsed Wilson as the frontrunner to clinch the MVP award.
“Anytime a media person has to ask a question, ‘who’s as good as A’ja Wilson,’ that’s where you start with the conversation, that’s your answer. That’s your answer. She’s top three in every major statistical category, but most importantly, efficiency. She’s number one in efficiency. And to me, people need to do that kind of homework,” Hammon said.
Surely, the Aces star has put up some incredible numbers this year. Wilson has been dropping averages of 26.9 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over the last few games. She has also led her team in terms of the highest points scored in six out of the last eight games. Thus, with the MVP race getting intense, it remains to be seen who has the last laugh.