South Carolina Basketball: Aja Wilson makes history again with another WNBA record
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina basketball legend Aja Wilson is the best player in the WNBA. Sure, other great players like Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, and fellow Gamecock Aliyah Boston have real arguments for the top spot. However, Wilson stands above them all.
In fact, with all due respect to the all-time greats who currently are vying for the title like Diana Taurasi, Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, and Sue Bird, Aja Wilson might be on her way to becoming the best player to ever suit up for a WNBA franchise.
On Thursday, Wilson made history during her Las Vegas Aces’ victory over the New York Liberty. The 13-point win could be a preview of the WNBA Finals in October, and fellow Aces superstar Jackie Young posted a triple-double for Vegas. However, it was Wilson who set a WNBA record by becoming the fastest player to ever reach 3500 points, 1500 rebounds, and 300 blocked shots.
Especially when considering the amount of dominant forwards in the league’s history, Wilson’s accomplishment is a huge deal. Lisa Leslie didn’t reach those numbers faster than Aja Wilson. Neither did Candance Parker or Brittney Griner. Tamika Catchings and Tina Charles didn’t do it either.
Former Seattle Storm star Lauren Jackson is the previous record-holder, and she accomplished the feat in 192 games. Aja Wilson did it in 180.
Wilson’s well-rounded dominance is a rarity in basketball. She was last season’s MVP (her second time winning the award) and the Defensive Player of the Year. She led the league in blocks. She was 4th in scoring and 2nd in rebounding. She also had the best field goal percentage of any player in the top-11 in scoring average.
Most astonishingly, Wilson basically has been this dominant since her career began. The 1st overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft has put up remarkably consistent numbers each season of her career.
For her career, she is fifth all-time in points per game average, 6th all-time in rebounds per game, and 5th in WNBA history in blocks per game. Each of those numbers is trending upward for the 27 year old, as well.
It’s far too early to say that Aja Wilson is the best player of all-time, but it is not too early to say that she could be well on her way.