A’ja Wilson did what A’ja Wilson does against the Seattle Storm: lead the Las Vegas Aces to victory, and break records while doing so. Wilson put up 34 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks on 52.6% shooting from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc.
She became the fastest player in league history to score 6,000 points, doing it in 278 games and breaking Diana Taurasi’s previous record of 291 games. It’s just another step towards ultimate GOAT status for Wilson. The scary part for the rest of the league: Aces head coach Becky Hammon pointed out that Wilson is still evolving.
“It seems like she’s breaking a record every day, so you start to lose track of them,” Hammon said in the postgame media availability, per team video. “Nothing surprises me with that woman. I mean, tonight she has nine dimes. She just continues to get better.”
Wilson’s 3-5 3-point shooting night embodies that continued improvement Hammon speaks of. For the first few seasons of her career, Wilson was not a 3-point shooter. Then, she increased her volume, but didn’t shoot a great percentage outside of the 2022 season. Last year, she cracked the 40% mark for the first time in her career. So far this season, she is shooting 55.6% on 2.5 attempts from behind the arc per game. A big with Wilson’s skill and an ability to consistently knock down 3-pointers is incredibly difficult to guard—even impossible, at times.
“There’s just really not any offensive area that she can’t do,” Hammon added later in the postgame media availability. “She can put the ball on the floor, she can get to her middy, she can put her back to the basket, she can step out, shoot threes, she shoots free throws…Her expansion of her offensive floor game, I think, has just made her virtually unguardable.”
At only 29, Wilson already has three championships, four MVPs, three DPOYs, two Finals MVPs, seven All-Star appearances, five All-WNBA First Team selections, four All-Defensive First Team honors, and several league records to her name. No player has won more MVP awards, and, given the Aces’ continued greatness, she is also on track to become one of the winningest players in league history.
Wilson also climbed up the WNBA’s all-time blocks list to seventh Monday night. When it’s all said and done, she will be one of the league’s leading scorers, rebounders, and shot blockers.
Eight seasons into her WNBA career, there’s no doubt that Wilson is one of the best to ever play the game, and she just continues to outperform the greats that came before her. A new generation of stars may be on the rise, but Wilson won’t let anyone forget how far ahead she is when it comes to WNBA GOAT status.
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