Aces HC Accepts Blame For Delaying A’ja Wilson’s 30-20 All-Time WNBA Record

It’s all smiles for A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. Fresh off celebrating her 29th birthday with 29 points in a win over the Seattle Storm, A’ja kept her hot streak alive. Tonight against the Connecticut Sun, she made history as the first player in WNBA history to record 30 or more points and at least 20 rebounds in a game. A feat head coach Becky Hammon believes she could have accomplished even earlier.

Against the Connecticut Sun, 10,407 fans at Michelob ULTRA Arena witnessed an A’ja Wilson masterclass. The center scored 32 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists. With the 94-86 win over the Sun, the Aces matched their season-best win streak of four and moved 4 games above the .500 mark.

But Becky Hammon had an interesting take in the postgame conference. While giving A’ja her flowers, the two-time WNBA championship coach revealed that the superstar might have achieved this record earlier if not for the tactical game plan she had in place.

In the post-game conference, Hammon said, “It’s just A’ja being A’ja. Look, she’s elite at a lot of different things, so not surprised. She probably could have had one of these in the past. I never let her really go to the offensive glass— this year we’ve been emphasizing that more. It’s been helpful in her rebounding numbers too because now she can go on both ends. Where before, you know, we had a lot of focus on transition defense,which we still want that,but we also want to create more opportunities for ourselves on the offensive end. So, more offensive boards the merrier.”

Last season was a special one for A’ja Wilson as she won her third MVP title, averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. It’s a given that replicating those numbers every year isn’t easy. While she is having a phenomenal Year 8 by her lofty standards–averaging 21.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals–the Aces have struggled a lot.

For context, the Aces have already lost 14 games this season. Last year, they lost just 13 in total. A big reason is the absence of key players like Kelsey Plum, Sydney Colson, and Alysha Clark. With their depth taking a major hit and key players like Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and Jewell Loyd struggling to find consistency, the results have been hard to come by. Still, A’ja has been dominating in every way she can.

Her paint production has dipped slightly from 13.7 points per game last season to 12.2 this year. Her effective field goal percentage of 50.2 is also down from last season’s 53.1. And that’s not all! Even her rebounding numbers have taken a hit. At first glance, that might seem to go against Becky’s point about A’ja taking on more of the offense. But with the extra load she’s carrying this season, that small drop makes perfect sense.

During the postgame conference, Wilson also got candid about the team’s showing and shared her thoughts on her record-breaking performance. Let’s take a look.

A’ja Wilson gets candid about her historic performance

Aside from becoming the first player to register a 30-20 game in the history of the sport, A’ja also ended up recording her 30th career game with 30 points. She also became the fastest and the second youngest player to reach the 5,000 points mark. After the game, she opened up about how it felt. Here’s what she had to say!

“It’s huge,” Wilson said. “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.”

With A’ja in peak form and the Aces finally looking like contenders after a tough start to the season, can they still chase the goals they set at the start? Or is it just a distant dream for Coach Becky Hammon and her side? Do let us know in the comments down below!