The Las Vegas Aces have been painfully average. They have lost 3 in the last 6 games, continuing the trend of maintaining a 0.500 record. Currently, they are 15-14 after 29 games, following two games that perfectly prove the story of their season. Against the Lynx, they slumped to a 111-58 loss. That 53-point blowout was the largest home loss in WNBA history or even the largest road win in history. 

A’ja Wilson and Co. bounced back with a 100+ point performance of their own, winning 101-77 against the Golden State Valkyries. A’ja Wilson has been carrying the team on her back while averaging 21.3 points per game, and even a legend like Wilson can’t bring consistent results single-handedly. Amid a tumultuous season, A’ja Wilson has received some good news. 

Wilson will be inducted into the Gamecocks Athletics Hall of Fame on October 23. She will also be honored with the rest of the inductees during the football games against Alabama on October 25. She left the Gamecocks as a legend, even before entering the WNBA, being the program’s first four-time All-American and the 2018 unanimous national player of the year. Wilson helped lead the Gamecocks to their first national title in 2017, their first Women’s Final Four in 2015, four SEC tournaments, and three SEC regular season titles. 

The South Carolina program owes a lot to Wilson, but even the legend owes a lot to the college.“There’s no place like home,” Wilson said in making her choice out of high school. And just like that, she became someone they will talk about years from now. A lasting legacy that speaks to thousands across the country. 

She is the school record holder with 2,389 points and ranks 4th in career rebounds with 1,195. Wilson is also the No. 1 in career blocks with 363.  The university also built a statue of her in 2021 in front of the Colonial Life Arena, a plan they announced when Wilson graduated in 2018. After multiple honours from her college, she is comfortably the college’s all-time goat regardless of any sport. 

This is not the first time the University has honoured Wilson, as they retired her No.22 jersey in February. Wilson shed a few tears during the ceremony  and said, “South Carolina shaped me, not just as an athlete but as a person.”  She carried her tendency to dominate in the WNBA, winning the league twice and getting the MVP honours thrice. She is used to being a winner, and that loss against the Lynx triggered something in her as she sent a harsh message to the locker room after their humiliating loss to the Lynx.

A’ja Wilson Inspires A Dominating Win After Lynx Humbling

Wilson has been a lone warrior a lot of the time for this Aces side. It was the same last season, and the story has continued this season. She is often termed a human cheat code for the Aces, and the form has continued this season. Wilson was understandably at her limit after they fell to the Lynx in their worst performance this season. 

“If you just think, ‘Oh well, that’s that game,’ absolutely not,” Wilson said. “That was my message that I relayed to them in getting them to the same mindset that we can all have, that we have to play for each other. That’s the only way we win anything.”

She was heard across the team as they bounced back with a 101-77 win against the Valkyries. They improved their accuracy against the Valkyries, shooting at 46.1% compared to 34.3% during Saturday’s 111-58 loss. Jewell Loyd stepped up after Wilson’s outrage, tying a Las Vegas record with seven 3-pointers while scoring a season-high 27 points. It was one of those rare occasions where Wilson wasn’t the top scorer, but she had her say, scoring 14 points, four steals, and two assists while grabbing 14 rebounds. 

To further prove that the call was heard across the squad, the reserves scored 25 points, while the Valkyries’ bench had just two points. Hopefully, this will inspire a return to their prime form and get some consistency they have been craving. Wilson will continue to spray her magic, but the contributions of others are what lead to their success. They must not just witness Wilson’s brilliance but actively take part in it.