Caitlin Clark's candidacy for the MVP award was a point of contention at the end of the 2026 WNBA season, with many observers not naming her the clear favorite. Instead, A’ja Wilson secured her fifth MVP award, solidifying her place in WNBA history. Clark finished fourth in the voting, trailing Olivia Miles and her Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell.
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Clark received only 55 votes from the 74-member panel of national sportswriters and broadcasters, with 19 panelists omitting her from their ballots entirely. This prompted John Root, a Fox analyst with Outkick, to criticize those voters strongly. He stated, “Any WNBA MVP voter who left Caitlin Clark off their ballot should not be allowed to vote ever again.”
Throughout the season, Clark demonstrated exceptional skill, serving as the primary playmaker on the league’s best offensive team. She averaged 22.3 points per game (PPG) and 8.3 assists per game (APG). Root highlighted that Clark was consistently one of the top three contenders for the MVP award, along with Miles and Wilson, suggesting that her exclusion from ballots was disrespectful.
While Miles had strong arguments for her vote—being the standout player on the top team during her rookie season—Mitchell's inclusion alongside her over Clark raised eyebrows. Mitchell averaged 24.7 points per game, but analysts found it harsh to leave Clark off entirely given her accomplishments.
Root expressed frustration, stating, “Quite frankly, WNBA media and MVP voters are some of the biggest buffoons in sports media. They clearly don’t understand basketball and would much rather push a political agenda than evaluate performance objectively.”
Linda Cohn, a former ESPN host, echoed this sentiment, calling for the 19 voters to clarify their reasoning for excluding players like Clark and Mitchell. On her YouTube podcast, she remarked, “Fans deserve to understand your reasoning. Come clean, voters.”
Clark's season was historic; she scored 45 points and provided 10 assists in a game against the Seattle Storm on July 17, becoming the first player in league history to achieve a 40-point double-double. She recorded 13 games with 20 or more points and 10 or more assists, and her five games with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists outnumbered all others combined. Notably, Clark set records by being the first player to amass 800 points and 300 assists in a single season, finishing the year with 891 points, the highest total for a point guard in WNBA history.