Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who last week signed a two-year contract extension, is set to lead the host Las Vegas Aces against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night.
Wilson, 26, was the league’s first overall pick in the 2018 draft. Since then, she has justified the Ace’s faith, becoming a five-time All-Star, a two-time MVP and, finally, a WNBA champion in 2022. She has twice led the league in blocks and, in 2022, she also won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
“She’s one of the best — if not the best — basketball player in the world,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson. “And as good as she is as a player, she’s even better as a person.”
The Aces, who have the league’s best record this season at 15-1, now have their “core four” players under contract through the 2024 season: Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum.
Dallas, meanwhile, has won two straight games, evening its record at 8-8.
Las Vegas, however, is 9-0 at home while Dallas is just 2-6 on the road.
The Wings rely on Satou Sabally, who is coming off a season-high, 27-point performance in an 89-72 win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday. She also had 15 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season, the second-highest total in the league.
Sabally, a 6-foot-4 forward just like Wilson, was the second overall pick in the 2020 draft. She made the WNBA All-Rookie team in ’20 and was an All-Star in 2021 before getting selected again this year.
Her scoring is way up — from 11.3 points per game last year to 19.1 now. Her rebounding has improved from 4.8 to 10.4, and Wings coach Latricia Trammell has noticed.
“She’s on a mission, isn’t she?” Trammell said. “This season, this is the Satou we knew she could be.”
The Wings have another All-Star, guard Arike Ogunbowale, who is one of the league’s top scorers (22.1 points per game). The Wings lead the league in rebounds (39.7) and offensive boards (12.1).
“We’re good,” Sabally said this week. “We’re growing.”
–Field Level Media
