The results of the WNBA’s MVP voting were released this weekend, and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson made history becoming the first player to win the award four times. The complete results of the voting were revealed by Meghan L. Hall of USA Today Sports, and one of the most surprising MVP votes was for Los Angeles Sparks second-year wing Rickea Jackson.

Following the results of the MVP voting, Jackson took to social media with a little joke about her surprise fifth-place vote.

“Who I need to take to dinner???,” Jackson posted along with a few emojis. Jackson wasn’t the only Sparks player to receive an MVP vote as another voter also gave Dearica Hamby a fifth-place vote for the award.

While fans may question the legitimacy of Rickea Jackson receiving a vote for MVP, what shouldn’t be overlooked is the season she put up for the Sparks. After a slow start to the year following a stint in the league’s concussion protocol, Jackson emerged as one of the Sparks’ most consistent offensive options.

Jackson appeared in a total of 38 games this year, at a little over 30 minutes per game. She averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists with splits of 42.4 percent shooting from the field, 34.8 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line. And for a player who is used to having the ball in her hands, Jackson made strong off-ball strides in Lynne Roberts’ system.

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During the Sparks’ exit interviews following the end of the regular season, Jackson also spoke about how her desire to win helped her step into more of a leadership role as well.

“I feel like it was just wanting to win. I feel like our team won twice as many games as last year,” Jackson said. “So I just knew we had a goal and I saw that we were close and able to reach it. So I just came out of my shell a little bit more.”

Jackson was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, after the Sparks had acquired the pick in an offseason trade with the Seattle Storm. As a rookie, she was one of only three players, including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, to average double digits in scoring. She was the only one of the three to shoot 45+ percent while doing so.

As Jackson continues on her WNBA journey, it might not be much of a stretch to envision her getting higher-place votes for MVP sometime in the future.