A hot mic caught A’ja Wilson expressing frustration with her teammates following a disappointing loss to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday. The Las Vegas Aces star was captured on video reacting to her teammates' eagerness to take photos with Usher, who attended the game, despite their poor performance on the court.
After the game, a nearby hot mic picked up Wilson's candid remarks. In a NSFW video, Wilson was heard saying to a teammate, “They ain’t did (expletive) all day, but they want to take a (expletive) picture with Usher.”
Wilson’s reaction might seem surprising given her recent history with Usher. Following the Aces' victory over the New York Liberty to secure back-to-back WNBA championships, Wilson publicly invited Usher to celebrate with the team at their championship parade. Although Usher couldn't attend, he extended an invitation for the team to attend his show. Less than a week later, the Aces were seen enjoying Usher's performance, with Wilson sharing a special one-on-one moment with the singer.
The Aces faced a tough challenge Tuesday, breaking their winning streak with a 93-85 loss to the Sky. Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese led the charge for the Sky, with Carter scoring 34 points and Reese grabbing 10 rebounds. The game, held at Michelob Ultra Arena, saw a packed crowd, including several pro athletes and celebrities such as Usher, who has a residency in Vegas.
The Aces' recurring struggle with slow starts was evident again as they trailed by 13 points after the first quarter. With 18 turnovers in the first half alone, the defending champions found it challenging to recover. Despite rallying from a 21-point deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter, they couldn't secure the win.
Coach Becky Hammon acknowledged the difficulties of mounting comebacks, saying, “Those are hard holes to dig out of. Even if we had won this game, we still feel that there’s a lot of things that we could get better at, defensively especially,” per ClutchPoint's Candese Charles.
Rebounding was a significant problem for the Aces against the Sky, who dominated the boards 56-32 and picked up 14 second-chance points compared to the Aces' three. Wilson had a standout performance with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals, but it wasn't enough to secure a win.
Aces’ Kate Martin suffers injury
A significant moment in the game occurred with 1:19 left in the first quarter when Las Vegas rookie Kate Martin suffered a leg injury. Martin slipped while heading down the court and was down for several minutes. She eventually returned to the bench but did not play for the remainder of the game.
“I don’t know how bad it is but she’s a tough cookie,” Hammon said during the post-game conference.
The loss against the Sky came before the WNBA All-Star/Olympic break. Four Aces players—Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum—are headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA. After the All-Star Game in Phoenix on Saturday, the team will return to action in mid-August.
Hammon plans to use the break to recalibrate the team.
“We’re going to do it basically, almost like a mini training camp, reboot, recalibrate, and more importantly set the mind because the mindset has to be there or we’re going nowhere,” she said.
The Aces will return on Aug. 17 to host the New York Liberty,
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