At the conclusion of the 2023 WNBA season, following the Las Vegas Aces’ back-to-back championship victory and A’ja Wilson being named Finals MVP, Wilson delivered a message.
“To whoever out there voted me fourth (for MVP), I want to express my gratitude. Thank you so much,” Wilson expressed during the team’s championship celebration. “I just want to say that I appreciate you, because it simply means that I have more work to do.”
Despite the 2024 Aces falling short of expectations, Wilson has not disappointed. True to her word from the previous October, Wilson returned as a stronger player in her seventh season in the WNBA.
Already a two-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, Wilson now holds the record for the most points scored in a single season. In a game against the Indiana Fever, facing rookie Caitlin Clark who may challenge these records in the near future, Wilson surpassed Jewell Loyd’s previous single-season record of 939 points by scoring her 941st point in the second quarter.
941 buckets in 2024 and counting…
Most Points Scored In A WNBA Single Season belongs to A’JA WILSON #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/ysR3DWubVz
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 11, 2024
Over the past two years since the regular season expanded to 40 games, numerous single-season WNBA records have been broken. When the league first started in 1997, the season consisted of 28 games, gradually increasing to 34 games from 2003-2019. Despite the extra games, Wilson’s remarkable statistics prove she doesn’t need them to break records.
With 929 points through 34 games, Wilson surpassed any previous scoring record in league history, exceeding Taurasi’s 860 points in 2006. Wilson was averaging 27.3 points per game leading up to Wednesday’s match.
She only requires 83 points in the final five games to achieve the highest scoring average in a WNBA season, surpassing Taurasi’s 25.3 points per game mark.
In addition to her scoring prowess, Wilson leads the league in defensive rebounds, blocks, turnover percentage, and win shares, solidifying her position as the frontrunner for MVP.
“It’s important not to overlook just how talented (A’ja) is,” Aces coach Becky Hammon emphasized ahead of the Fever game. “She excels in all areas of the game. She’s currently on an incredible streak that sometimes I want to shake her and say, do you realize how good you are? But then I decide against it because I don’t want to disrupt whatever zone she’s in.”
Wilson’s performance has placed her among the WNBA’s historical greats. In her seventh season, she is also on track to challenge Taurasi’s record as the league’s all-time leading scorer. With a higher scoring average at this stage (20.9 versus 20.7) and the benefit of the WNBA’s extended schedule, Wilson is poised to match Taurasi’s scoring output in fewer seasons.
Currently, Wilson and the Aces have their sights set on a third championship title. However, the all-time great continues to set individual records along the way.
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(Photo: Justin Casterline / NBAE via Getty Images)