LAS VEGAS – Another day, another slice of WNBA history inching closer to A’ja Wilson’s grasp.
The Aces’ superstar was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for a third time this season on Tuesday. It was the 31st such honor for Wilson’s career — moving her within two of all-time leader Tina Charles (33). Wilson is already the all-time leader in the West.
Wilson averaged a league-leading 32.3 points over three games last week, helping the Aces go 2-1 to improve to 21-9 overall — good for second place in the league standings, only behind the Minnesota Lynx (25-6).
Wilson added 12 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game to her tally, shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. She recorded double-doubles in all three games, scoring no less than 28 points and shooting no lower than 48.1 percent from the floor.
The highlight of the week for Wilson individually was a 36-point performance in the Aces’ 84-83 loss to the Chicago Sky on Aug. 1.
Despite the defeat — which came on a three-point game winner from rookie Sydney Taylor — Wilson’s offensive output saw her pass Sylvia Fowles (6,415) for the No. 13 spot in the W’s all-time scoring list. She ended the game on 6,442 total points. The 30 piece was Wilson’s 10th time this season scoring at least 30.
Wilson leads the league all-time in 30-point double-doubles with 32. The one against Chicago was her sixth of the season. The fifth came a game prior, in the Aces’ huge 104-99 home win over the New York Liberty.
Wilson paced the Aces to the tune of 33 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks as Las Vegas recorded its first victory of the campaign against New York. A’ja shot 11-for-22 from the field and 10-for-11 at the free-throw line.
The four-time MVP dropped 24 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 7-10 FG in the Aces’ 98-83 home win against the Portland Fire on July 28, kicking off the week in style.
Most recently, Wilson continued making her case for a fifth MVP award as her 23 points and three blocks helped the Aces to a dominant 109-87 bounce-back road win over Atlanta on Monday.
The Aces will be back in action at Indiana on Thursday — facing Eastern Conference Player of the Week Caitlin Clark and co. — in the third game of their grueling five-game road trip, which is also set to feature a back-to-back at Minnesota and New York on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Aces will be looking to avoid a season sweep after losing the first two meetings of the campaign to the Fever — both at home.