INDIANAPOLIS — A’ja Wilson broke the WNBA single-season scoring record with her 940th and 941st points on a jumper just before halftime of the Las Vegas Aces’ 86-75 win over the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night.
Wilson hit the jumper from the free throw line with 26.4 seconds left in the second quarter to pass the previous mark of 939 points set by Jewell Loyd in 2023.
“Feels great, ’cause now people will stop talking about it,” Wilson said postgame. “I felt like it was just lingering, lingering, lingering, so I’m glad that we got it done. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The Aces’ two-time league MVP finished the win with 27 points on 11-for-28 shooting, and added 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. She now has 956 points on the season and could become the first player in league history to reach 1,000 in a year.
Wilson is averaging 27.3 points per game this season, on pace to be the highest single-season average in WNBA history. She needed just 35 games to top last year’s record by Loyd, who needed 38 games.
Wilson credited her teammates for helping her break the record.
“I don’t want to sound cliché when I say this but, I don’t get any of that without every single teammate along the way. I’m so grateful to be able to play with selfless women,” she said, adding that she was trying not to get emotional. “My teammates are the heartbeat. They keep me going. I don’t get any points without them passing me the basketball.
“So the points are great. They’re always going to be there. I’m never going to stop shooting, but the group that we have in this locker room is something that I’m truly so happy to be around.”
Wilson’s previous high was 912 points, set in 40 games last season.
Wilson sat out the team’s previous game in New York on Sunday while recovering from an ankle injury sustained against Connecticut on Friday.
The Aces have four games left after Wednesday, including another one against the Fever on Friday. Las Vegas has won 14 straight in the series. The Aces are the only team Indiana has not beaten this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.