A’ja Wilson Makes WNBA History with 5,000 Career Points

Las Vegas, Nevada – A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces made history on Wednesday, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to score 5,000 career points. Wilson achieved this milestone during a game against the Connecticut Sun at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Entering the game, Wilson needed just seven points to hit the 5,000 mark. She made a layup midway through the second quarter to reach this impressive achievement with 4:04 remaining on the clock. With the Aces defeating the Sun 85-59, Wilson finished the night with 22 points, bringing her career total to 5,015 points.

At just 28 years old, Wilson is now the 28th player in WNBA history to reach 5,000 points. She accomplished this in just 238 games, breaking the previous record of 242 games set by Breanna Stewart. In addition, Wilson is the second-youngest player to reach this milestone, following Lauren Jackson, who did it at 28 years and 96 days.

During the post-game press conference, Wilson expressed her emotions about this milestone. “It meant a lot to me. It’s been a special, special season for us. There’s been a lot of ups and downs but when you can hit a milestone like this in a league like this, I can’t let it go unnoticed, so I’m grateful, I’m blessed,” she said.

Wilson shared a personal touch at the press conference by displaying her game shoes, which were inspired by Tiana from the movie “The Princess and the Frog”. She wrote “5K” and the date on them to commemorate the achievement and plans to keep them as a memory.

In addition to being the fastest player to reach 5,000 points, Wilson’s performance places her among the elite in WNBA history. She is now one of only six players to achieve 5,000 points along with 2,000 rebounds, 500 assists, 400 blocked shots, and 200 steals.

Despite her individual achievements, Wilson and Aces head coach Becky Hammon emphasized the importance of team success. Hammon noted, “It’s interesting, she gets all these individual numbers and accolades, but I can tell you she’d trade them in a second for winning.”

The Aces now sit at a 7-7 record in the WNBA standings, trailing the Minnesota Lynx, who hold the first place spot. As Wilson continues her remarkable career, all eyes will be on her spotlighting her potential to challenge for the all-time scoring crown currently held by Diana Taurasi, who has 10,646 points.