Following the Las Vegas Aces’ second consecutive title win at the 2023 WNBA season, A’ja Wilson, who bagged the Finals MVP, addressed the crowd with gratitude and a determined spirit to challenge herself. Despite a disappointing team output relative to expectations in 2024, Wilson fulfilled her promise to improve her game in her seventh season. Known for her two-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, Wilson set a record by scoring the most points in a WNBA single-season, surpassing Jewell Loyd’s record of 939 points from the previous year.
WNBA has seen numerous records broken in recent years since the regular season expanded to 40 games from its initial 28 games in 1997. Aces’ coach Becky Hammon lauded Wilson’s game, stating, “She’s in the middle of a run that sometimes I want to shake her and say, do you know how good you are? But then I don’t want to shake her because I don’t want to wake her up. She can just stay in whatever zone she’s in.”
However, it should be noted that Wilson’s remarkable statistics did not require extra games to achieve. By her 34th game, Wilson had already scored an astonishing 929 points—more than any player in WNBA history. Needing a mere 83 total points over the final 5 games of the season, A’ja was set to surpass Diana Taurasi’s 25.3 total point average—another significant WNBA record.
In addition to shooting points, Wilson has also demonstrated exemplary skills, leading the league in defensive rebounds, blocks, turnover percentage, and win shares. Such output only strengthens her position as a possible MVP favorite for the season.
In her seven-season career, Wilson is closing in on Taurasi’s record as the league’s highest-scoring player of all time. With a better scoring average (20.9 vs. 20.7) at this point in her career and the advantage of the WNBA’s expanded schedule, Wilson is likely to surpass Taurasi’s total scoring output in a faster timeframe.
Currently, Wilson’s focus, along with the Aces, is on securing a third title. Still, her impressive skills and relentless determination ensure that she continues to set individual player records on her journey. Her performance and record-breaking contributions to the league underscore the aura of excellence that she brings to each game, making her one of the greatest players in WNBA history.
