LAS VEGAS — There was only one way Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon could describe reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson becoming the first player in league history to register a 30-20 double-double.
“It’s just A’ja being A’ja,” she said.
She shook her head in awe.
“She probably could have had one of these in the past,” Hammon added. “I never let her really go to the offensive glass this year, where we’ve been emphasizing that more.”
Wilson finished with 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting to go along with her second-career 20-rebound night, leading the Aces to a 94-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night. It was her 14th double-double of the season and her sixth career game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds, tying Tina Charles for the most in WNBA history, according to ESPN Research.
“It’s huge,” Wilson said, who also registered her 30th career 30-point game. “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.”
Teammate Jackie Young said Wilson never ceases to amaze.
“Every night she shows up, and I think that’s why she’s so great at what she does,” Young said. “She’s a super hard worker, so it’s cool to see her hard work pay off. At the same time, they’re bringing double teams to her, triple teams to her, and she’s having to navigate that and play out of it. She’s still able to put up insane numbers every night.”
Wilson, who this season became the fastest and second-youngest player to score 5,000 career points, ranks first for 30-point games since entering the league in 2018.
“It’s pretty cool to have my name in the record books when it comes to that,” Wilson said, who turned 29 on Friday. “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot following up. So yeah, it’s pretty cool to kind of be the first one.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.