The rest of the WNBA better hope A'ja Wilson never receives another fourth-place vote in an MVP race.

The Las Vegas Aces center was already an all-time great heading into the 2024 season, but she has taken the league by storm while playing at a historic and completely unstoppable pace. It's not a stretch to suggest finishing in third in the closest three-way MVP race in league history last season provided even more motivation for the six-time All-Star.

Yet finishing with 433 points and just behind Breanna Stewart (446) and Alyssa Thomas (439) wasn't what stuck with Wilson. Instead, it was the one fourth-place vote she received.

"Not even coming close, I feel like the biggest thing was just a fourth-place vote," she told Bleacher Report. "I feel like that was kind of a slap in the face to me. First or second, I could deal with. But fourth was ridiculous. That was definitely a chip on my shoulder that I focused on in the offseason while getting better."

Getting even better means cementing her status as one of the WNBA's GOATs at just 27 years old.

Wilson, who already has back-to-back championships, two MVPs, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and a WNBA Finals MVP on her resume, is playing the best basketball of her career this season while averaging 27.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game and shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep.

She is a walking double-double who overpowers opponents on the blocks, extends her game outside the paint, controls the glass and seemingly swats away shots every time opponents attack the rim.

If she continues on her pace, she will break Diana Taurasi's single-season scoring record of 25.3 points per game (2006) and potentially become the first player in WNBA history to lead the league in points, rebounds and blocks in the same season.

Wilson is as close to a lock for MVP as one can be at the All-Star break, which would mark the third time she won the award in her career. That would tie Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson for the most MVPs in WNBA history.

"It would be incredible," Wilson said of joining such legends in the accomplishment. "Just having talks with those GOATs and those Hall of Famers has been truly special, and to now have a chance for my name to be alongside them at such a young age is something I don't take for granted. I know what this game means to me and how special it is to them. They laid the foundation down for me to be able to have my name under theirs. So I'm going to go out there and try to play the best basketball I can for them and for others to enjoy."

The Aces are also starting to play their best basketball as they pursue a third straight title.

While Wilson is the driving force behind that success, the team was just 6-6 in the first 12 games when Chelsea Gray was sidelined with injury. Las Vegas was getting every opponent's best shot as the two-time reigning champions and looked sluggish at times without its point guard and floor general leading the way.

However, it once again looks like arguably the top team in the league with a 10-2 record since her return.

There is still some ground to make up in the standings as the No. 5 seed at 4.5 games behind the top-seeded New York Liberty, but the Aces are within two games of the second-seeded Connecticut Sun and will likely keep rising with Wilson playing at a historic level, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young thriving, and Gray helping run the show.

"It's a huge difference," Wilson said of getting Gray back and having the core together. "When your point guard is back into the flow of things, she gets everyone organized and ready to go in their respective roles. That's when you start winning games.

"But I think we still have a lot more growing that we need to do. She was just the missing ingredient, we always say we're like baking a cake. If you don't have an egg, it's kind of awful. So Chelsea is like our egg in that situation. It's great to have her back. We still have to mold through some things, but we're on the right track."

The right track would lead to history, as the Aces have the chance to become the first WNBA team to three-peat since the Houston Comets lifted the trophy in each of the league's first four seasons from 1997-2000.

While that means every team is circling its games against Las Vegas, being under such a spotlight is nothing new for Wilson.

"I feel like we've gotten every team's best since my rookie year before we even got banners and rings, so it's something that we're used to," she said. "It's just who we are and the culture that we built. I feel like people want to beat us, and that's okay. I love it, it brings the competitor in me to all new heights. So this is a familiar feeling, and everyone is chasing the championship. But we have a chance to continue to hold what's ours."

Some of those chasing the championship belong to this year's high-profile rookie class that features Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

The pair became headline names in college and have brought even more attention to the WNBA as the league grows in popularity. Wilson's Aces handled Clark's Indiana Fever in two blowout wins, although Reese's Chicago Sky defeated Las Vegas in the final game before the All-Star break in something of a stunning result given how well the reigning champs have played of late.

Having faced each of them twice, Wilson is now among those who are impressed with how Clark and Reese have adjusted to WNBA competition while playing under such a spotlight.

"It's starting to translate at the perfect time," she said. "I think people came in with very high expectations because they are the talk of the town, but I love the fact that they are starting to find their groove at the right time. We're starting to see them in the flow of things like we're used to seeing when they were at the college level.

"It's tough playing against people who are bigger, better, faster and stronger. But if you can still see glimpses of the you that you remember, that's what it's truly all about. I think they both add great things to their respective teams. It's pretty cool going against them. It's always cool when you can compete at a very high level, particularly coming in as the No. 1 pick. They've handled it with grace and great class."

Clark and Reese will be among those participating in Saturday's All-Star Game as the league's best get together for a weekend in front of the fans.

Wilson is taking advantage of All-Star Weekend by partnering with Starry, which sponsored Friday's Three-Point Contest as the official soft drink of the WNBA. The contest, which Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream won, featured deep shot locations in "The Starry Range" where competitors had the chance to earn additional points.

Starry also gave fans the chance to experience the STARRY AR3NA during WNBA Live, which included an interactive court, a $25,000 prize pool and experiences at A'ja's HOM3COURT. A'ja's HOM3COURT included an A'ja Wilson-inspired ink shop, interactive speed drills and WNBA All-Star athlete appearances.

"It's always great when we partner with Starry because they bring the total fan experience," Wilson said. "It allows fans to see the professional athletes and get connected with them. It's one of those feelings that I always get so happy about because I get to connect with fans that I normally wouldn't get to."

It is fitting, then, that Wilson was right there on the sideline for the Starry Three-Point Contest to cheer on her friend and college teammate from South Carolina as Gray swept the WNBA All-Star activities Friday by winning the shooting contest and skills challenge.

That is the kind of support Wilson is also looking forward to receiving when she and Team USA arrive in Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

To the surprise of nobody, the two-time MVP was unstoppable the last time she played in the Olympics while helping lead the Americans to the gold medal during the Tokyo Games. She averaged 16.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as the Americans went 6-0 overall and defeated Japan by 15 points in the gold medal game.

Anything less than another gold medal during the Paris Games would be shocking, as Wilson figures to be one of the leaders on a team that also includes Stewart, Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Sabrina Ionescu, as well as her Aces teammates Plum, Young and Gray.

So what is Wilson most looking forward to about her second Olympics?

"Just being there with my family," she said. "They didn't get the chance to go to my first Olympics, so having them come over and experience that feeling of supporting me playing on the biggest stage with the brightest lights. Giving them that experience is something I'm super excited about."

Team USA's first major test will come before the Olympics when it faces the WNBA All-Stars in Saturday's All-Star Game.

Team WNBA will feature Clark, Reese, Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Aliyah Boston and DeWanna Bonner, among others, and will look to replicate the All-Stars' victory over Team USA in the 2021 game ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

"We lost it last time we played them, so we've got to get the win this time," Wilson said.

If this season is any indication, best of luck to Team WNBA playing against a motivated Wilson.