This Wednesday will remain as a great day in A'ja Wilson's career. She had started with the presentation of the new covers of NBA 2K25 on which she appears for the WNBA edition (only available in North America). Then she signed an exceptional match against the Seattle Storm: 24 points, 20 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 interceptions!
In the Las Vegas Aces' 84-79 victory, she recorded her first career double-double, and became the second player in history to finish a game with at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 3 blocks. The first was Sylvia Fowles in 2021.
“The crazy thing is, if you asked me my rookie year, I would have asked you what defense was, because I didn’t play defense… But I learned that defense wins games and championships, and I really have to be that focused on that,” estimates the Aces player.
“I didn’t come to Seattle to do cardio.”
Now the franchise's top scorer, the Aces star nevertheless had trouble getting into the game with a dreadful 1/7 shooting during the first quarter.
“My shots weren't going in early, and I had to find another way to be productive for the team. I didn't come to Seattle just to do cardio.” ironizes the interior. “That's how a game goes sometimes, the shots aren't always perfect. So I decided to play under the rim, take easier shots, give more possessions for the team. Then the shots went in.”
By regaining confidence in scoring, the player particularly distinguished herself with a decisive basket (and not the easiest) with 48 seconds left in the game. A'ja Wilson has her back to the basket, but she manages to turn around to rise and sink a shot at the top of the key to allow her teammates to take a 6-point lead.
“I trained to take this shot, it's part of my repertoire,” she assures. “That's something I focus on. It's a little different when a defender is on you and wants to stop you. That's something I've been preparing for because I see a lot of defensive schemes.”
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers attempted; LF = Free throws made / Free throws attempted; O = Offensive rebound; D = Defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose balls; Ct: Blocks; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the court; Pts = Points; Eval: Player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
