Bettors are buying into the next generation of WNBA superstars, but sportsbooks are standing by the reigning MVP as the season gets underway.
A’ja Wilson is the consensus preseason favorite to win her fifth WNBA MVP award in 2026, showing +220 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday morning. Fan favorite Caitlin Clark comes in next at +240 before a sizable gap to Napheesa Collier at +800.
Clark, who has perennially been the top attraction in awards futures since her debut in 2024, is drawing action once again, garnering a leading 29.5% of the MVP tickets at BetMGM. By keeping her odds short, bookmakers are looking to limit their exposure on Clark.
“People will bet it regardless of what the price is. They just want to have a piece of the Caitlin Clark action,” Caesars Sportsbook pro basketball lead David Lieberman told ESPN. “So it’s just sort of a game that all the sportsbooks are playing, of how low can you go where people will still bet it and balance out your book a little bit.”
Sportsbooks start to get into serious liability trouble with reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, who checks in with fifth-best odds for MVP at 14-1 at DraftKings and is as long as 20-1 at other sportsbooks. DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello said Bueckers is “the public’s most popular choice,” which includes a $1,000 bet at 20-1 odds that would net $20,000 if successful. BetMGM reports an overwhelming 85% of handle backing her, possibly owing to one or several large wagers, to be the sportsbook’s largest liability.
Even with the large amount of support for Clark and Bueckers, though, Wilson actually moved into the odds lead the week before the season. As recently as Wednesday, Clark topped the odds board at +245, with Wilson at +265. Wilson received the highest percentage of votes from WNBA general managers to be the 2026 MVP in a survey released earlier in the week.
Bookmakers are notoriously conservative with their power ratings for making odds, which would explain why Collier is still high on the board despite an ankle injury that is expected to keep her sidelined until at least June.
“If Collier was healthy, her odds would be closer to Clark and Wilson,” BetMGM trader Tyler Groth said over email. “How much time she misses will determine if she can contend for MVP.”
The same power ratings principle applies to the WNBA Finals odds board, where the New York Liberty are the favorite at +220, followed by Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces at +390 and Clark’s Indiana Fever at +450, per DraftKings lines. Despite the fact that the Fever have been heavily bet for the title, they have actually lengthened from their short point around +375, showing sportsbooks’ deference for the Liberty and Aces.
“Those two are the best teams on paper,” Lieberman said.
The Atlanta Dream, who shortened from 18-1 to +650 for the title after a splashy offseason, haven’t received much bettor attention either, but Bueckers’ Dallas Wings (30-1) have, coming in as one of the largest liabilities at BetMGM and DraftKings.
Other teams attracting action across a variety of futures markets include the Golden State Valkyries (45-1), Los Angeles Sparks (14-1), Phoenix Mercury (30-1) and Seattle Storm (250-1), while Sabrina Ionescu (22-1), Dominique Malonga (65-1), Aliyah Boston (100-1) and Rickea Jackson (250-1) have seen some fliers as long shots in the MVP market.
“It’s a really good book that we’ve got here. There’s money on just about every team,” Avello said. “If any of those long shots have a good season, bettors will continue to bet them throughout the season, so the liability could even become stronger.”
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