1,000 and counting: A’ja Wilson reaches milestone in Aces’ win — PHOTOS
From fans at Michelob Ultra Arena, to players on the home bench, countless hands held up two fingers as time waned Sunday.
They were signaling the inevitability of history. A’ja Wilson was a bucket away from the WNBA’s first 1,000-point season.
She accomplished the feat with one minute, 57 seconds, remaining in the Aces’ 84-71 win over the Connecticut Sun.
The milestone basket was a trademark midrange jumper, the same kind of shot that she used to set the league’s record for points in a season Wednesday in Indiana, surpassing Jewell Loyd’s 2023 mark of 939 points.
After Sunday’s accomplishment, Wilson skipped backward to get back on defense while nodding in acknowledgement. She received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 10,431, a record for the Aces at their home arena. Her parents, Eva and Roscoe Wilson, sat courtside.
The Aces called a timeout 30 seconds later, allowing Wilson’s teammates to rush to her. The emotion was evident on the two-time MVP’s face as she waved toward the stands. Once she sat on the bench, her teammates bowed as Sydney Colson mimed putting a crown on her head.
“It was huge. It really was. I was not expecting my teammates to bum-rush me on the court, but that’s who they are. That’s the reason why I love them so much,” Wilson said. “I wasn’t (keeping track of my points), I really wasn’t. I was just taking what the defense gives me. But once I saw everybody put the two points up, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s one bucket. Let’s go get it.’”
Wilson finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as the Aces (25-13) completed a regular-season sweep of three games against the Sun. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Marina Mabrey led the Sun (27-11) with 18 points. The Aces can still catch the Sun for the third seed in the WNBA playoffs if they win their last two games and Connecticut loses its last two. The Aces play at the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. Tuesday, a preview of their likely first-round matchup.
‘Really, really gifted’
But there wasn’t much talk about the playoffs after Sunday’s victory, which marked the Aces’ seventh win in eight games. Coach Becky Hammon didn’t speak much about the action on the court either, aside from complimenting the Aces’ improved defense, which has now held opponents under 75 points in six consecutive games.
The postgame focus was on Wilson, and who she is as a person.
“Her athleticism, how good her hands are, she’s just a really, really gifted human being, both physically (and) just the human side,” Hammon said.
Young, who assisted the milestone shot, offered the same praise.
“It’s an honor to be able to play with (Wilson),” Young said. “She comes in every day and just shows us what a professional is. Even though she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, she always makes sure that her team is good. … With everything that she’s accomplished and continues to accomplish, it’s just super special to be around.”
Wilson had 25 points in three quarters. She needed just four more points to reach 1,000 points entering the final frame, but the Aces had a substantial 71-51 lead. At that point, it would’ve seemed reasonable for Hammon to rest Wilson, who is only two games removed from missing her first game since 2019 due to an ankle injury.
Time for a break?
Although Hammon noted that Wilson “looked tired,” she said she never considered putting her on the bench because she knew the milestone was weighing heavily on the star forward and her teammates. Hammon added that she might give Wilson a break over the last two games of the regular season.
But Wilson didn’t sound like a player looking to be rested Sunday night, listing late NBA legend Kobe Bryant as her inspiration.
“I have no time to rest right now. I have no time to go feel sorry about myself, no time to listen to the noise,” Wilson said. “I got work to do, and that’s going to be my mindset until I’m done playing, until I’ve squeezed everything out of this game.”
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.