After MVP win, A'ja Wilson shouts out South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley and calls out disrespectful voter

It came as no surprise that Sunday's WNBA MVP reveal was an announcement of A'ja Wilson winning the award in unanimous fashion. The former South Carolina basketball star put up the best season in league history, becoming the first player ever to lead the league in points, rebounds, and blocks, setting single-season records for points, points scored, rebounds, and PER (Player Efficiency Rating) along the way.

In the aftermath of Wilson receiving her third MVP trophy, she had plenty to say.

In addition to delivering a solid message to young girls during her acceptance speech about being willing to work hard to achieve their dreams, A'ja Wilson gave a shout-out to her former coach Dawn Staley. The partnership between Wilson and Staley was one of the foundation pieces of what has become a South Carolina basketball dynasty. The duo won a National Championship after the 2016-2017 season, and Wilson won every National Player of the Year award available the following campaign.

Not everyone mentioned by Wilson on Sunday received a positive message, however.

In a conversation with Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post, Wilson said that a disrespectful (or misinformed) MVP voter from the 2023 season provided her with some motivation heading into the 2024 campaign. Wilson told Copeland that she received a competitive push because "I had a better year than my previous MVP years and still got a 4th-place vote...I used that in the offseason...I wanted to work so hard, not only for my teammates but for myself."

Depending on how the other votes might have shifted with a reasonable ballot, that 4th-place selection could have been the difference in last year's MVP voting as the top-3 candidates (Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Alyssa Thomas) had the closest 3-player finish in league history. A'ja Wilson made sure that wouldn't be an issue in 2024.

Sunday continued to be a good day for Wilson as she and her Las Vegas Aces squad defeated the Seattle Storm in the first game of their WNBA Postseason run.They will play game two of the series on Tuesday at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN and the ESPN app.