Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson continued her record-setting year Tuesday by passing Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese’s recently set mark for most rebounds in a WNBA season.
Wilson tallied seven rebounds in Tuesday’s 85-72 win over the Seattle Storm to reach 451 boards for the season. She entered the game two rebounds shy of matching Reese’s record (446 rebounds) and quickly grabbed them within the opening minutes of the contest. Wilson got her third rebound to break the record halfway through the first quarter off a missed 3-pointer from Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith.
“It’s a blessing,” Wilson said. “This league is tough, so if my name can be in the record books in some sort of way, it’s a blessing. So that’s cool.”
Earlier this month, Wilson broke the WNBA single-season points record, passing Jewell Loyd’s mark of 939.
Most Points In A Single Szn ✅
Most Rebounds In A Single Szn ✅A’ja Wilson passes Angel Reese for the most REBS in a single season with 447 and counting#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/t8Tha9zEBu
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 18, 2024
Reese set the rebounds record on Sept. 2, and the Sky announced just five days later that she would miss the rest of the season with a wrist injury. She passed two-time WNBA champion and eight-time All-Star Sylvia Fowles for the single-season rebounding record. Reese (13.1 rebounds per game) and Wilson (11.9) are Nos. 1 and 2 in the league in rebounds per game this season, and the only players averaging a double-double.
When asked postgame if she was keeping tabs on approaching the rebound record, Wilson paused before coach Becky Hammon said, “No, she didn’t know. You can tell.”
“Only because I don’t hunt rebounds, so it’s not something that’s always on my mind,” Wilson said. “I’m 6-foot-4 and I’m around the basket; I hope I can grab a couple rebounds for my team. But when it comes to just getting them to get them, I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on putting the ball in the hoop.”
On Sunday, Wilson became the first player in league history to reach 1,000 points in a single season.
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
