Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 | 2 a.m.
A’ja Wilson’s 2024 campaign was one of the best seasons in WNBA history.
She led the league in scoring with 27 points per game and blocked shots at 2.6 per game, was second in rebounding and became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a single season.
Fittingly, she was a unanimous selection as the league’s Most Valuable Player.
The Aces, on the other hand, weren’t as consistent with their season ending without achieving a third straight championship. They were eliminated Sunday by the New York Liberty in the semifinal round of the WNBA Playoffs.
In her final comments of the season, a usually stoic coach Becky Hammon became emotional when talking about what she believed Wilson deserved after having a historic season.
“I guess a lot of it that hurts now too is just with A’ja having the season that she did,” she said.
One thing is certain: The Aces’ attempt at a dynasty with Wilson leading the charge will have a different look and feel next season.
Kelsey Plum, Tiffany Hayes and Alysha Clark are each free agents. The Aces might also lose a player in the expansion draft to Golden State, who will pick its initial roster from a pool of six unprotected players from each of the league’s 12 teams.
A roster shakeup might do the franchise well, especially considering some of the off-the-court drama it endured this season.
Hammon after a Game 2 loss to the Liberty last week said her players “hadn’t had an edge all year” and that they had been “too distracted being in commercials and being celebrities.”
Some of that could have been a coach trying to motivate her players. But the comments illuminated tensions that had been brewing.
Plum, a key cog in the back-to-back championship seasons and one of the world’s best players, defended herself by saying she “plays hard every game.”
Hammon later stressed the comments weren’t about Plum but rather the team.
That wasn’t the lone conflict off the court distracting the team.
Former player Dearica Hamby filed in discrimination lawsuit against the Aces and WNBA claiming that she was traded in 2023 because she was pregnant — claims the Aces and Hammon have repeatedly denied. When returning Aug. 18 to Las Vegas with the Los Angeles Sparks, fans aggressively “booed” her and Hamby said that she “fought back tears” the entire game.
Something also seemed to be off with the Aces play, starting on opening night when they blew a 20-point lead against the Phoenix Mercury before holding on for the win.
The near collapse was a sign of things to come for the efforts on defense.
Players said they were struggling on defense but could not pinpoint a reason why. Hammon said that it was something that she couldn’t fix and that players “have to do it.”
Game 3 to Game 4 against the Liberty summed up the season of how they could look like a title contender one night and the next struggle to keep up.
The Aces used a 16-0 run in Game 3 on Friday as part of a 95-81 win. Two days later, they managed just 62 points in a season ending defeat.
The game’s best player had tears in her eyes saluting the fans while walking off the court. It was a tough way to end a tough season.
“This year, we really noticed that we really have to pour into each other daily,” Wilson said. “Even though we see each other every single day, you can’t miss out on an opportunity to lift somebody up.”