NEW YORK — Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was ruled out of Sunday's big game against the New York Liberty after injuring her right ankle in the final minute of her team's win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon described the injury as a niggle and said there are no long-term concerns after Wilson underwent imaging, but that they are taking things slow with her and will see how she feels heading into the Aces' next game on Wednesday against the Indiana Fever.
“There's never a good time for this, but she'll have a couple days to get her ankle back and get some rest,” Hammon said, referring to the team's approach with Wilson as “very precautionary.”
Wilson was seen entering the Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon wearing a walking boot.
Hammon said the Aces will start with Megan Gustafson and Alysha Clark along with their usual backcourt of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
Wilson has been remarkably durable during her WNBA career, last missing a game in 2019. Her 172 consecutive game appearances entering Sunday marked the longest active streak in the league.
“She's very competitive. She loves to compete and she takes great care of her body,” Hammon said. “She makes all the decisions off the court that you never see or hear about to put her in the best position to perform at her best every night. And that's really a professional … and she's tough. I mean, she plays through fatigue. She plays through some aches and pains, and not everyone has the ability to do that.”
Wilson is the heavy favorite for the MVP award, averaging 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game this season. That scoring average is on pace to be the highest in a single season in league history. She is also 11 points away from setting a WNBA record for most points scored in a season and 71 points away from reaching 1,000.
Wilson's absence comes after Young (resting) and Plum (ankle) also sat out one game each over the past two weeks. Young, Plum, Wilson and Gray all competed in the Olympics for Team USA, an experience Hammon said takes a physical and mental toll on athletes.
The two-time defending champions have a 22-12 record on the year, are fourth in the standings and looking for their first win of the season over first-place New York. The Liberty beat the Aces twice earlier this season in Las Vegas.
“Everyone loves A'ja. They love her,” Hammon said of the team. “So I think they want to do a great job for her when she's not on the field, get her back as best as they can. Go out there, play hard, compete and see what happens.”
