South Carolina Basketball: Aja Wilson ties WNBA record with 53 points
By Kevin Miller
Aja Wilson is a phenom.
The reigning WNBA MVP could be on her way to securing the trophy for the second-straight year and for the third in four seasons.
Currently, the Las Vegas Aces superstar is 3rd in the league in scoring (22.3 points per game), 2nd in rebounding (9.5 boards each time out), 1st in blocked shots (2.1 swats per contest), and 10th in steals (1.4 pilfers a night).
Her efficiency numbers are eye-popping as well. Her PER sits at a WNBA high 27.5, she is the only member of the top-5 scorers in the league with a field goal percentage above 50% (54.2%), and she averages just 1.4 turnovers per game despite her high usage rate.
On Tuesday night, Wilson added to her 2023 resume with a jaw-dropping performance.
Wilson tied the WNBA record for most points in a game, dropping 53 in her team’s victory on the road over the Atlanta Dream. The 53 points were even more impressive when one considers that the total came on just 23 shot attempts. Wilson went 16-23 from the field and shot a ridiculous 20-21 from the free throw line.
As if the scoring wasn’t enough, in typical Aja Wilson fashion, the former South Carolina basketball legend handled herself quite well on the defensive end of the floor, blocking four shots and pulling down seven defensive rebounds on the night.
Only two other players (Liz Cambage, 53 points in 2018 and Riquna Williams, 51 points in 2013) have ever reached the 50-point mark in a WNBA game.
The performance serves as a reminder to the country of the fact that Aja Wilson is the best player in the world. No woman in the WNBA or any other league can match what she can do on the court.
Wilson’s head coach Becky Hammon was effusive in praise of her superstar after the magical performance: “I don’t know what kind of a creature she is, but she runs like a deer, jumps like a cat, and catches like if she were Spiderman.”
Coach Hammon might be onto something. Aja Wilson is certainly NOT normal. What she is, is the future greatest player of all-time.