A’ja Wilson of Aces First to Score 1,000 Points in a Single Season

A’ja Wilson, a forward for the Las Vegas Aces, made history on Sunday by becoming the first player in WNBA history to exceed 1,000 points in a single season. This remarkable achievement took place during the Aces’ 84-71 win against the Connecticut Sun.

Wilson reached the milestone with a fadeaway jump shot with just 1 minute and 57 seconds left in the game. The moment was celebrated by her teammates and the enthusiastic crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena, highlighting Wilson’s status as the leading contender for the 2024 WNBA Most Valuable Player award.

“I really try to pinpoint little things,” Wilson mentioned when discussing her continuous improvement, despite already holding two MVP awards and two WNBA championships. “Everyone can come in and say, ‘Oh, I want to win a championship.’ But what are the little things you’re going to do to get to that point? That’s what I want to be great in.”

Wilson attributes her success to her rigorous offseason training and preparation. “I take time to get away from basketball, to let me miss it. So then when I’m in it, I don’t take it for granted,” she explained. With a screensaver message that reads, ‘Rest at the end, not in the middle,’ Wilson emphasizes her dedication to hard work.

“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,” she added, showcasing her relentless drive.

At just 28 years old, Wilson is enjoying a stellar season, averaging an impressive 27.0 points per game, along with 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 2.3 assists while maintaining a shooting percentage of 51.9%. Her scoring average is now the highest in WNBA history, a record she has solidified regardless of her performance in the final two games of the regular season.

Wilson was the No. 1 draft pick in 2018, the same year the Aces relocated from San Antonio to Las Vegas. Coach Becky Hammon, who spent eight seasons with the San Antonio franchise, expressed her feelings on Wilson’s impact on the team. “It’s not easy to be A’ja Wilson every day. It just isn’t. There’s a lot of expectation,” Hammon noted. “The city is lucky that they’ve gotten to see her grow up. You get to see her evolve into not only this unbelievable player but a person who gives back to her community and cares about the people she’s playing with and interacting with.”

Wilson’s current remarkable streak of scoring in double digits has extended to 50 games, the longest in the league. This follows a previous streak of 53 consecutive games from August 2019 to August 2021, reinforcing her consistency and dominance on the court.

The Las Vegas Aces currently hold a record of 25-13 and sit in fourth place in the WNBA standings with two regular season games remaining. They will face off against the Seattle Storm, who are in fifth place with a record of 24-14, on Tuesday, followed by a home game against the Dallas Wings on Thursday.

“It’s an honor to be able to play with her,” said Jackie Young, an Aces teammate who was the top pick in the 2019 draft, one year after Wilson. “She comes in every day and kind of shows us what a professional is.”