LAS VEGAS — There was nearly fifty Starrz, Silver Stars and Aces alumni in attendance for Sunday’s game, part of the annual Alumni Weekend put on by Mark Davis and the Aces front office.
Thanks to a bit of poetic timing, the alumni didn’t just come to the arena for Sunday’s matinee game and the emotional halftime ceremony. They were also able to witness the official coronation of the franchise’s new all-time career scoring leader in the Aces' 104-85 victory over the Dallas Wings.
Wilson broke the previous record, belonging to Sophia Young, with her 4,031st point that came on the back end of a pair of free throws late in the third quarter.
She had long secured the mantle for the greatest player in franchise history overall. But accomplishing this mark in front of the past, present and future of the organization allowed for it to recognized in such a way that makes it nothing short of a historic moment for the league.
“She’s the greatest player to ever put on the (franchise’s) uniform,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “You could probably make an argument for both ends of the floor.
"Just the greatest player to ever put on a Stars or Aces uniform. It’s not just what she's doing for our franchise. It’s how she moves the needle across the world.”
Passing of torch
Right after she finished her post-game TV interview, Wilson shared a hug a nearly two-minute long conversation with Young, who was one of the alumni in attendance. It was the metaphorical passing of the torch, lit by perhaps the most significant record for an individual franchise in any basketball league.
“I have to always give it to the ones that laid the foundation down before me, the ones that grinded it out, the ones that had to do extra just to get seen a little bit to now we're playing on national television and charter flights and everything else,” Wilson said. “It’s a huge deal for me and it's something I don't take for granted, but I'm never going to lose sight of the women that literally had to like teeth and claw and crawl their way up to just for just to get a foot in the door as black women, as women in general.
"Thank you for passing that torch. We're going to keep passing it.”
Hammon was on the court the night Young set the previous record. That was August 10, 2010, against the Minnesota Lynx, when Young scored her 2,564th point to surpass then franchise leader Adrienne Goodson’s (1999-2004) career mark.
“Both really special players,” Hammon said. “One thing that sticks out for sure is that they both have phenomenal hands.
"I mean, I could throw that ball to Sophia Young anywhere and she'd go grab it. A’ja is the same way. You just put it up in her area and she's going to come down with it.”
Not taken for granted
If you take one thing from watching an Aces game this season, it should be that you are truly lucky. You’re lucky to be a fan of this league at this time. You’re lucky to see the premier talent in the sport’s history just begin to reach her apex as it becomes the single hottest commodity in American pop culture.
A’ja Wilson isn’t just a great women’s basketball player anymore. She’s an athlete that is going to find herself in the pantheon of American sports history, with cornerstones like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and Billie Jean King.
Chelsea Gray said it best post game. Start having the conversations now. Cherish it. Buy a ticket. Because Wilson is on the path to being the greatest women’s basketball player of all time.
“One thing that I really want to emphasize sometimes in sports, we don't take the time to celebrate somebody that's doing the greatest in the moment,” Gray said. “We wait until after they retire to talk about it even more. But I think you're doing it injustice if you don't have the conversation now.
“I wish I would have been able to be there to see Magic play or to see legends like that, be able to play. When you're coming (to Aces games), you're seeing somebody that's going to be in the Hall of Fame soon.”