So it should be no surprise to anyone that the Las Vegas Aces center just became the second player ever to be unanimously voted in as WNBA MVP.
The numbers — 26.9 ppg (led the league), 11.9 rpg (second), 1.8 spg (fifth), 2.6 bpg (first) — were unreal. And on a team that felt like it was underachieving at times after winning at title last year, she helped right the ship.
So, yeah. Any talk of anyone else as MVP was silly, and here we are. Well deserved, A’ja.
UNANIMOUS MVP
A’ja Wilson joins Cynthia Cooper-Dyke as just the second player to earn the award unanimously. pic.twitter.com/GxF288BQ5W
The fit. The bangs. The Aces’ caption. 10/10, A’ja Wilson.
A’ja Wilson finally wore a dressed-up look again ahead of a recent matchup, and hoops fans went wild.
On Thursday, the Aces and Dallas Wings concluded their regular season with another game against each other. The Aces rested most of their starting lineup, including A’ja Wilson, in preparation for the WNBA playoffs.
While many fans expected A’ja to come dressed like she has been for nearly a month now — in a plain white t-shirt — Wilson switched it up with a daring green number. Here she is pre-game, walking the Aces’ tunnel with her coordinated fit, a purse, heels and a lovely new haircut with bangs.
Of course, the Aces social media team did a great job supporting A’ja’s tunnel reveal with a subtle but superb nod to Shego from Kim Possible in the caption, and fans picked right up on it.
This is how they reacted while praising A’ja’s look:
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is officially the queen of the glass.
On Tuesday, A’ja completed another record-breaking feat, officially surpassing Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese for most rebounds in a single season. With Reese unfortunately out for the remainder of the season with a wrist injury, that left the door open for Wilson — the league’s second-best rebounder this year — to snag the record.
Wilson only needed three rebounds to make history, and it didn’t take long for it to happen. Just halfway through the first quarter of a matchup with the Seattle Storm, A’ja casually secured her third rebound of the night.
Wilson’s new stat is nothing short of amazing. But the Aces center was seemingly unaware that she wrote her name into the record books.
Here’s what she told the media when she found out during a postgame presser while head coach Becky Hammon and teammate Kelsey Plum gave her grief about it:
“That’s cool…I don’t hunt rebounds, you know? So, it’s not something that’s always on my mind. But when it comes to just getting the basketball for my team…I mean, I’m [6-foot-4] and around the basketball. I hope I can grab a couple [of] rebounds for my team.”
“But when it comes to just getting them to get them…I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on putting the ball in the hoop…it’s a blessing. This league is tough…if my name can be in the record books in some sort of way, it’s a blessing…”
A’ja Wilson’s mom calling her out is peak parent, and we can’t stop laughing.
If anyone asks why A’ja Wilson was called out by her mom, start with her teammate, Sydney Colson.
Syd jokingly tweeted that A’ja now has two basketballs this season that she’ll take home for breaking WNBA records, and A’ja responded with a very NSFW double entendre. However, that whole sequence did not go unnoticed because A’ja’s mom, who is active on social media, saw the tweet and promptly called her out for it.
Of course, A’ja quickly deflected by saying that someone had hacked her account, and we can not stop laughing. Here’s that totally wild exchange. (Warning: very NSFW language.)
It’s fine, A’ja Wilson. We’re just over here crying our eyes out, too.
A’ja Wilson let it all out in the locker room after scoring 1,000 points in a season and creating a new WNBA record.
Wilson’s teammate, Alysha Clark, recently said it best: “The crown is heavy, but she shows up daily and pours into those around her.” On Sunday, after Wilson put an exclamation point on her MVP campaign by making WNBA history, we saw a glimpse of how heavy A’ja’s crown likely feels.
Wilson’s been the backbone of the Las Vegas Aces, who have been struggling to meet the three-peat championship expectations this season. She hasn’t complained or stopped showing up. A’ja simply put on her plain white t-shirt and went to work. However, it hasn’t come without sacrifice. In a tearful and extremely vulnerable locker room speech, she thanked her teammates for helping her get to the moment. Here’s part of the heartfelt words she shared:
“Y’all will never understand how much y’all mean to me because it’s days where I hate being A’ja Wilson. I hate it. But when I come into work, and I see y’all smiling, and I see y’all just happy, that [expletive] makes me who I am. And I am so grateful to have teammates like y’all…”
“Y’all are just amazing people, and I love coming into work with y’all every single day because life it hard…but when I come into work and I see y’all, it changes my whole outlook on life. So, I am so so appreciative for y’all because it’s hard…but I’m nothing without y’all. And I’m so grateful. Thank you so much. I appreciate y’all. Never change.”
The Las Vegas Aces center, who also recently won a gold medal for Team USA women’s basketball team during the Paris Olympics, will soon likely win 2024 WNBA MVP.
Adebayo not-so-subtly tweeted that he hopes “everybody finds A’thousand reasons to smile on this lovely Sunday” after Wilson set the record.
This was much like when the Miami Heat center tweeted the word “unanimous” but with an apostrophe after the first letter, presumably a reference to how Wilson spells her first name and how she deserves to win MVP by a unanimous vote.
A’ja Wilson’s spectacular MVP season continues with this PERFECT bucket to get to 1,000 points.
A’ja Wilson made WNBA history on Sunday in the most A’ja Wilson way possible, and how it happened shouldn’t surprise people.
At this point, anyone who says someone should be the WNBA MVP over A’ja Wilson must be trolling because my mind cannot comprehend the sheer greatness happening. Wilson is on a UNPARALLLED TEAR. She just broke the WNBA single-season scoring record on September 11, and on Sunday, she went otherworldly on the Connecticut Sun to set a new scoring benchmark.
A’ja dropped a casual 29 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks en route to 1,000 points. YES — 1,000 POINTS IN A SINGLE SEASON. How did she get to such a historic feat? With her signature turnaround fadeaway mid-range jumper, of course. The basketball gods couldn’t have scripted this up any other way. PERFECTION.
Me retweeting every post congratulating A’ja on becoming the first W player ever to score 1,000 points in a season and she didn’t even need the entire 40 games ! pic.twitter.com/tFTfubyYys
“The crown is heavy, but she shows up daily and pours into those around her.”
On Wednesday, after A’ja Wilson broke the WNBA single-season scoring record, her teammate, Alysha Clark, could barely keep it together as she spoke about who Wilson is as a person.
Wilson’s ginormous night got the attention of some pretty incredible people, including Tom Brady and LeBron James. Brady, James, and even Bam Adebayo tweeted about how special A’ja is and how she deserves to be WNBA MVP. But Clark’s comments during an Aces postgame presser were probably the best of the night.
Alysha was asked what makes A’ja such a great teammate off the court, and in a very touching moment, she held back tears as she answered. Here’s part of what she shared with the media (See the tweet and the 4:09 mark of the clip below):
“Kelsey [Plum] said it the other night, she’s a phenomenal human being…I’ve been around a lot of amazing players, and the one thing that sticks out when I look at…the post players…that one piece — that selflessness — like, yeah, she is a superstar…Don’t get it twisted. She is a superstar. But you would never know it being in her presence.”
“She makes you feel welcome. She makes you feel seen and heard…But what I think what isn’t talked about enough is her humility. The way that people play on her name night in and night out — she shows up every day with a smile on her face…”
“The crown is heavy, but she shows up daily and pours into those around her. And I don’t think people understand how special that is for a person, for your franchise player, for your superstar — for your leader — to be able to do on a consistent basis…”
Not only is A’ja averaging career highs in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, but she leads the league in points and blocks and is second in rebounds and steals. (EXCUSE ME, A’JA WILSON!) Hoops fans are witnessing a GENERATIONAL baller on a GENERATIONAL tear.
On Wednesday, she broke Jewell Loyd’s single-season scoring record that Jewell set just last year (939 points), and she did it in 35 games to Loyd’s 38. That kind of production has never been seen in WNBA history, and she could very likely be well on her way to something else that has never happened — 1000 points in a single season.
All your hard work has paid off @_ajawilson22 It’s been beyond a treat to watch you all season long simply dominate!!! I’m proud of how you represent our sport and lead! Love yahttps://t.co/y4sq3PL5Fw
A recent Bam Adebayo tweet is practically SCREAMING A’ja Wilson’s name.
A’ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo have not publicly announced that they’re dating, but a recent series of events all but confirms the two are very likely an item.
Let me start by saying that A’ja and Bam don’t owe anyone a confirmation or an explanation about their dating lives. But, if something is happening, they are failing at keeping it under wraps. First, there was an sneaky handshake after the Team USA women won gold. Next, Bam subtly tweets words of encouragement after A’ja’s lousy shooting day against the Chicago Sky.
Then, A’ja’s teammates and Miami-Dade’s mayor dropped so many (unintentional but possibly intentional) dating hints when she attended an event where Bam received a key to the city. After that, the Aces dropped a sneaky “bam” reference after A’ja broke the single-season scoring record. Now, Bam has tweeted again with a specific spelling that is so A’ja-coded that it’s practically SCREAMING it’s for the MVP frontrunner.
It’s the word “unanimous” (likely meaning the center should be a unanimous selection for WNBA MVP) but spelled with an apostrophe — just like A’ja’s name.
Of course, fans had a TIME with Bam’s tweet. Here’s what they said:
….You’re awesome!! 
(@howard_rhyne) 
🫡
(@BiggggLo_) 