What A’ja Wilson’s historic season means to Aces, WNBA

Towards the end of the first half, the two-time WNBA MVP pulled up at the free throw line for a seamless jump shot to surpass 939 points, a season record set by Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd in 2023. Wilson ended the game with 27 points. This record-breaking night came after Wilson sat out of her first game since 2019 due to an ankle injury.

Wilson currently sits at 956 points this season, putting her 44 points away from becoming the first WNBA player to score 1,000 in a single season. Assuming Wilson gears up for the Aces’ remaining four regular season games, she will need to average 11 points per game to reach yet another history-making accomplishment. Currently, she leads the league in scoring and averages 27.3 points per game. She’s also on track to break the single-season rebounding record if she grabs 29 more boards this season.

“It’s a blessing, it really is,” Wilson said postgame. “It’s something that I don’t take for granted. We have some phenomenal players in this league, so for my name to be added in the list, it’s truly a blessing.”

“I have to credit my teammates because without them I wouldn’t get the basketball … them continuing to pour into me so I can pour into them goes a long way.”

The South Carolina alum was named WNBA MVP in 2020 and 2022 and Finals MVP in 2023 and has been a crucial part of the Aces’ success the past few seasons, winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. Just last month in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games, Wilson helped lead the Americans to an eighth consecutive gold medal and earned tournament MVP.

Before Wednesday’s game, Aces head coach Becky Hammon said that Wilson should be considered among the best ever in league history.

“You’re really starting to see a really, really gifted woman come into this maturity stage of not only her life, but basketball career,” Hammon said. “She’s not just the best player in the world, she might be the most loved and adored by her teammates. I mean, this woman is special.”

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Teammate Alysha Clark urged fans to appreciate Wilson for all that she’s accomplished so far in her career.

“One day she’s not going to be here. She’s going to retire and go on and live her life, and people are going to marvel at what she’s done. And I’m like, marvel at it now,” Clark said. “It’s impressive as hell … from day one of this season, there was no doubt who the best player in the world was.”