A’ja Wilson has done it again.
The Las Vegas Aces superstar forward who has snatched the unofficial title of best player in the world, made WNBA history on June 5. In the Aces’ 95-81 win over the Dallas Wings, she finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals and a block.
The statline was historic, as Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to finish a game with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals, according to Callie Lawson-Freeman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The performance didn’t come without obstacles, however. Throughout the game, Wilson was hit in the face at least three times, had a bloody nose and lost a contact lens.
A’ja Wilson is HOT due to a non foul call after having her contact knocked out 👀#WNBA pic.twitter.com/J2tLJJt82i
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) June 6, 2024
“I mean, I just take what the defense gives me in the flow of the game,” Wilson said at the postgame press conference. “My teammates really just kept me afloat. I kind of spazzed on one of the refs in the heat of the moment, I apologize there, but it’s frustrating, you know? You’re not necessarily begging for calls, but you just want the right calls. We didn’t get it, but that’s OK. We’re going to keep playing. We’re going to keep pushing.”
The physical game comes days after a nationwide discussion about the WNBA’s physicality after Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter shoulder-checked Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark before an inbound. Wilson’s bloody nose occurred the night after Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith bled from her mouth after taking an elbow from Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper.
“I’m good,” Diggins-Smith said after their game. “I’m a big girl. I’ve been in this league for a long time. I’ve taken shots, got stitches at halftime. [I] didn’t need stitches tonight, but that’s how it goes. Our league is physical. I think we’ve seen that. I think those that didn’t understand that, understand that now.”
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale had an interesting take on the physicality as well, and her comments were posted by Isaac Appelt of Shorthorn Media on X.
“The men get fouled, I don’t see people saying, ‘Oh, why did he do this?’ ” Ogunbowale said. “It’s basketball, it’s going to be physical. We’re going to compete. Some people might get knocked down; some people bleed — and that’s basketball. … It’s not women being catty; it’s basketball. So the narrative has to stop of, ‘People doing this or that.’ It’s going to be physical. If you don’t want to watch this, go watch golf or something.”
