Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson etched her name into WNBA history Sunday night after producing 32 points and 20 rebounds in the win against the Connecticut Sun. As a result, she became the first player in league history to ever record a 30-20 game.
However, if the Aces head coach Becky Hammon is to be believed, the performance was more usual business, than a historic achievement.
“It’s just A’ja being A’ja,” Hammon said post-game about the reigning MVP, per ESPN. Wilson went 13-of-25 shooting, leading the Aces to a 94-86 win at the Michelob Ultra Arena. The head coach even expressed that Wilson “probably could have had one of these in the past.”
Regardless, the game marked her 14th double-double of the season, her 30th 30-point performance, and her sixth career game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds, tying Tina Charles for the most in league history. Wilson’s historic feat came just two days after scoring 29 points on her 29th birthday in the Aces' win over the Seattle Storm.
Wilson only recently became the fastest and the second-youngest player to reach 5,000 career points and leads the WNBA in 30-point games since entering the league in 2018. She is averaging 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game this campaign and has scored 89 points in her last three games alone.
“I didn't even know, as many greats as we have in this league, it's kind of a shocker that it's just now happening. It's a blessing. I love what I do. I love what I do. I love it so much, so anytime that I can come out and just play basketball the way that I love it, and the team, and we're all getting involved — I'm happy with that,” the Aces superstar said after the game, clearly focussed more on the team that her own record.
The win pushed the Aces to 18-14, with their sixth victory in the last seven games. They will now take on the New York Liberty on August 13.
