Another game, another record for Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.
The WNBA MVP frontrunner, just minutes into their game against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night, broke the league’s single-season rebounding record. That came just days after Wilson both set the league’s single-season scoring record and became the first player in WNBA history to score more than 1,000 points in a season.
Wilson entered Tuesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena just two rebounds shy of matching the single-season rebounding record — which Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set earlier this season.
After two quick rebounds on the defensive end in the opening minutes, Wilson grabbed her third off a missed 3-pointer from Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith just after the midway point of the period to officially break the record.
Reese racked up 446 rebounds this year before she went down with her season-ending wrist injury. Reese is still leading the league with 13.1 rebounds per game despite her injury, which is more than one full board per game better than Wilson. Those two are the only players in the WNBA averaging double-digit rebounds per game. Both of their season averages are the two highest in WNBA history. Former Minnesota Lynx star Sylvia Fowles held the previous record with 404 rebounds during the 2018 campaign.
Wilson is the overwhelming favorite to earn WNBA MVP honors this season, which would be the third of her career. She entered Tuesday’s game averaging a league-high 27 points per game, which is nearly five full points more than anyone else in the league. She’s also averaging 12 rebounds and a league-high 2.6 blocks per game. Wilson is averaging 21 points per game across her career, too, which is tied with Cynthia Cooper for the best scoring output in league history.
The Aces entered Tuesday with a 25-13 record, which has them in fourth in the WNBA standings. They are a full game ahead of the Storm in the standings, but trail the Connecticut Sun by two games. The Aces, who have won seven of their last eight games, will end their season on Thursday against the Dallas Wings.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
Source Agencies
