Just a few days ago, the Las Vegas Aces were yesterday’s news for the creamy layer of the league. It seemed they had lost their spark that made them genuine contenders. Until their 28th game, they stood at a 0.500 record. “It hasn’t been a happy place because losing sucks,” Coach Becky Hammon said. “No one wants to suck.” And then the Aces flipped the switch. Just like that, they got back up on their feet with five consecutive wins, moving to fifth in the point table. 

The Aces are peaking at just the right time with playoffs around the corner. Their latest win came against the second-best team in the league, the New York Liberty. Jewell Loyd led this team with 21 points off the bench, while A’ja Wilson managed 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists. That included 6 offensive rebounds, where she stretched her streak of getting 3+ offensive rebounds to 5, which is the longest streak of her WNBA and NCAA career. 

Getting those offensive boards was like gold dust for Coach Hammon. “So (offensive rebounding) has been a point of emphasis for our whole team to crash this year. … They’ve been instructed to go.” Hammon has said, and like the champion that A’ja is, she is leading the way. After this record-breaking game, Wilson’s odds of becoming the MVP tripled on Polymarket Sport, and the best player in the league remains in the hunt for consecutive MVP awards. The 3x WNBA MVP is still behind Alyssa Thomas and Napheesa Collier, but she has gained momentum and could go past them in a flash.  

While the game has its positives, it had its negatives too, as it was not her best game of the season. She had one of her worst shooting games of the season, going 3-14 from the field, but she was saved by the free-throw line, where she went 11/11 from.  Because of her form, Wilson was forced to get her hands dirty to find a way to win. 

“I think that sometimes we just — as we’re tired, we probably just move less, and they’re physical, and then they just stop it. And then, you know, just a matter of probably almost giving it to them,” Liberty star Emma Meesseman said after the game. However, the Fans aren’t buying this style of play. They’re calling out Wilson for foul baiting and accusing officials of giving her a superstar-friendly whistle. 

Fans Claim A’ja Wilson Gets ‘Saved By the Refs’

It’s not the first time the fans have rallied against Wilson when it comes to the ‘superstar whistle’. When the Aces faced the Indiana Fever, Lexie Hull grabbed a defensive board, and Wilson tried to grapple her from behind. The referees called for a jump ball, but many fans felt it should have been a foul on Wilson. According to the fans, Wilson has had the whistle in her team for some time now, and those accusations continued after free throws seemingly improved her numbers on the night. 

A fan wrote, “A’ja Wilson got locked up all game by Jonquel and Emma, but got saved by the refs 11/11 on FT’s is laughable.” Jonqul Jones and Emma Meessamen are two of the very best defenders in the league. Wilson had to work very hard to get clean looks, and the shots just didn’t fall on the day. So, she had to find a way to contribute, and free throws helped her improve the numbers and disrupt the game. It all depends on perspective. Some fans see it as being “saved” by the free throws, while others see it as a clever tactic.

Another fan commented, “A’ja Wilson is an amazing player, but she has a whistle, bro… the majority of the foul calls she gets other players don’t get em.” Not many players play like her either. Wilson plays in an extremely physical manner and almost always has players around her to prevent her from doing what she does. Wilson’s elite footwork and knack for initiating contact constantly put defenders on the edge, forcing referees into split-second decisions and racking up fouls that most players could only dream of. Her above-average free throws are a combination of Wilson’s skill and the ‘superstar’ whistle. 

Like another fan wrote, “The Aja Wilson of whistle is absolutely generational imo 😂😂😂😂🚨🚨🚨🔥🔥🔥” Wilson has had some questionable decisions go her way. In the Indiana Fever game, even the broadcasters were surprised by some of the calls that went for Wilson. Wilson is leading the league for free throws taken per game with 7.3 per game. 28% of Wilson’s points have come from the line, which is among the most in the league. Considering these numbers, it has propelled fans to call her an “FT merchant.” 

Along with her free-throw stats, she also has the third most field goals made in the league with 223. So, while she has the whistle to her side to some extent, Wilson is not completely dependent on free throws for her points, but it’s an addition to her already amazing scoring ability. In any case, Wilson keeps shining for the Aces, leading a surging team that’s still very much in the hunt. At +2200 on FanDuel, their championship hopes are alive; it’s not out of reach. The Lynx may lead the pack at +145, but in a league known for surprises, anything can happen.