A’ja Wilson Is Closing in on Another Piece of WNBA History

A’ja Wilson added another weekly honor to an already remarkable WNBA résumé Tuesday, and the latest milestone puts the former South Carolina star within striking distance of another league record.

The Las Vegas Aces forward was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time this season and the 32nd time in her professional career.

That number is significant because no player has won more Western Conference Player of the Week awards than Wilson.

Across both conferences, only Tina Charles has collected more weekly honors, with 33.

Wilson therefore needs just two more Player of the Week selections to move into sole possession of the WNBA record for career weekly awards.

The latest honor also continues a remarkable stretch of consistency.

Wilson has now collected at least four Player of the Week awards in every season since 2022.

Wilson’s Latest Three-Game Stretch

Wilson earned the award after averaging 25.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals over three games.

She shot 50% from the field and 87% from the free-throw line during the stretch.

Her production included a 27-point, 14-rebound double-double against the Atlanta Dream.

She also scored at least 20 points in all three games and recorded at least three assists in each contest.

The performances helped Las Vegas secure its place in the 2026 WNBA playoffs.

The Aces are once again entering the postseason with Wilson at the center of their championship ambitions.

The More Remarkable Part: This Is Basically Her Normal Level

The weekly award would be impressive for almost any player.

For Wilson, however, the bigger story is how closely the three-game numbers resemble her overall production this season.

She is averaging 26.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in 2026.

She is also shooting 50.1% from the field, 37.6% from three-point range and 85.8% from the free-throw line.

Basketball-Reference currently lists Wilson as the WNBA’s scoring leader at 26.0 points per game and shows her leading the league in win shares as well.

That combination is important because Wilson is not producing her scoring numbers at the expense of her defensive impact.

She remains one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders while also providing rebounding, playmaking and increasingly reliable perimeter shooting.

Her 37.6% three-point shooting this season represents another dimension opponents have to account for when defending her.

Another MVP Campaign Is Taking Shape

Wilson entered the season as one of the WNBA’s established superstars.

Her 2026 campaign has strengthened the argument that she belongs in the MVP conversation again.

She already has four WNBA MVP awards.

The latest Player of the Week selection comes while she is again producing at an MVP-level statistical pace.

The Aces have also secured a playoff position, giving Wilson another opportunity to translate individual dominance into a deep postseason run.

The distinction matters because Wilson’s career has increasingly been defined by the combination of individual awards and team success.

She has won three WNBA championships with Las Vegas and has become one of the central figures of the franchise’s rise.

Wilson’s South Carolina Legacy Remains Part of the Story

Long before she became the No. 1 pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, Wilson had already established herself as the most decorated players in South Carolina women’s basketball history.

The Hopkins, South Carolina, native played for Dawn Staley from 2014 through 2018.

She became the program’s first National Player of the Year and first four-time All-American.

Wilson also became the first three-time SEC Player of the Year in league history.

Most importantly for the Gamecocks, she helped deliver the program’s first NCAA championship in 2017.

South Carolina also reached its first Final Four during Wilson’s college career.

Her individual numbers were equally significant.

South Carolina credits Wilson with 2,389 career points and 22 program records when her jersey-retirement ceremony was announced.

The school officially retired her No. 22 jersey in February 2025, adding another distinction to a career that had already included a statue outside Colonial Life Arena.

From Staley’s Program to the Top of the WNBA

Wilson’s professional career followed a similarly historic path.

Las Vegas selected her first overall in 2018, making her the first South Carolina player to become the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.

She won Rookie of the Year that season.

She has since developed into a four-time MVP and one of the league’s defining two-way players.

That progression also illustrates the influence of the South Carolina program on her development.

Staley’s system emphasized versatility, defensive intensity and physicality, traits that have remained central to Wilson’s professional game.

Wilson has subsequently expanded her offensive repertoire beyond the role she occupied in college.

Her ability to score from inside, attack mismatches, facilitate from the frontcourt and threaten defenses from three-point range has made her considerably harder to scheme against.

The Record Chase Is Now the Next Milestone

Wilson’s 32nd Western Conference Player of the Week award is already a record.

The next target is even more notable.

Charles’ 33 combined Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Week awards remain the benchmark Wilson is chasing.

Because Wilson has already collected four such honors this season, the possibility of taking the overall record is becoming increasingly realistic.

It would give her another statistical distinction that reflects something larger about her career: sustained excellence rather than a short peak.

Winning one weekly award requires a strong stretch of games.

Winning 32 requires maintaining an elite standard across multiple seasons.

The Timing Matters for Las Vegas

The individual recognition arrives as the Aces shift their attention toward the postseason.

Las Vegas has clinched a playoff berth, meaning the focus will increasingly move from qualification to positioning and preparation for the postseason.

Wilson’s workload and efficiency will be particularly important once the games become more consequential.

Her ability to affect a game without relying solely on scoring gives Las Vegas several ways to use her.

If opponents concentrate on the paint, her passing and perimeter shooting can become more important.

If they defend her one-on-one, her scoring efficiency and physical advantages can dictate the matchup.

And when games become possession-by-possession battles, her rebounding and defensive presence can influence outcomes without appearing in the scoring column.

That versatility is a major reason why another MVP-level season remains a realistic possibility.

For now, Wilson has another Player of the Week trophy and another piece of WNBA history within reach.

At 32 career Western Conference awards, the gap to Charles’ overall record is only one.

The next chapter of Wilson’s record chase will unfold alongside the Aces’ pursuit of another championship.