A’ja Wilson’s historic Game 1 performance has dragged an old controversy back into the spotlight. Weeks ago, Linda Cohn questioned whether the four-time WNBA MVP felt insecure about Caitlin Clark’s growing presence. On Sunday, the Aces star posted a stat line as historic as they come, with the Las Vegas Aces crushing CC’s Indiana Fever 102-85 and giving a former NBA player the perfect opening to take another shot at the former ESPN broadcaster.
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Nine-year NBA veteran Etan Thomas took to X to troll Cohn and simultaneously praised A’ja Wilson. The former Wizards star shared a “missing person” milk-carton meme.
It had the caption “MISSING” on the front with a photo of Linda Cohn. Written beneath the picture were these sentences: “LAST SEEN: Wondering whether A’ja Wilson might be “insecure” about Caitlin Clark. IF FOUND: Please direct her to the box score.”
The joke was clear. After being named the Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year earlier in the day, the Aces star finished with 16 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. She went 15-for-19 from the floor and also tied her career playoff high in scoring while also becoming the first player to post at least 35 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 75% or better from the field in a game, including the playoffs.
Wilson’s 38 points marked her 11th career 30-point playoff game, giving her the most such games in WNBA history, two more than Breanna Stewart. Not to forget that her 22-point first half, which also included three blocks and two steals, made her the first player in WNBA history to reach all three marks in a postseason half.
That said, the controversy began after Wilson pulled out of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. USA Basketball cited health reasons for her absence, but the lack of publicly available details led to plenty of discussion. The noise never stopped despite the fact that Wilson had already appeared on the Aces’ injury report twice with a back issue before it was announced that she would miss the World Cup.
“So is there any part of A’ja that didn’t want to spend the next couple of weeks watching the World Cup become the Caitlin Clark Show?” Cohn said, questioning whether A’ja Wilson might have felt some insecurity. Cohn did not claim that was the reason for the Aces star’s withdrawal. In fact, she acknowledged that the decision could have had nothing to do with Clark.
Several prominent basketball figures pushed back on the idea. Dawn Staley, Bernice King, Cindy Brunson and Jemele Hill were among those who criticized or challenged Cohn’s comments. The former ESPN broadcaster eventually addressed the backlash and pushed back against the idea that she had made a definitive claim about Wilson.
“I was just asking questions. I was surprised that many of the people out there were making assumptions about me. A’ja Wilson is the best player in the world, I said it then, I am saying it now. … She was named Western Conference Player of the Month. Then, less than a week before USA Basketball’s announcement, she was awarded Player of the Week. So, when I am seeing the best player in the world doing that … and then suddenly she decided, without any public announcement, that she’s not going to the World Cup … I am going to ask questions.”
Wilson later spoke more openly about the withdrawal and the toll the injuries and the noise took: “I think that break was bigger than the FIBA break or whatever physical break I can ever take.”
Game 1 nevertheless gave A’ja Wilson the perfect setting to reply without actually saying anything, as the Aces slowed down the league’s most explosive offense. Indiana entered the postseason averaging a WNBA-record 96 points per game, with Clark and Kelsey Mitchell forming the highest-scoring duo in league history. Las Vegas held that offense to 85 points in Game 1. Must have felt especially sweet after Indiana had won two of the three regular-season meetings between the franchises, including a 109-75 demolition of the Aces in Las Vegas in July.
Clark had a decent playmaking night with 10 assists, but she finished with 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting and committed six turnovers. Meanwhile, Kelsey Mitchell, who earlier put together a record 27-game streak with at least 20 points, was held to 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting.