The Las Vegas had a hat trick on Friday.
Aces forward A’ja Wilson was named Western Conference Player of the Week and Month(September), and Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon was named Coach of the Month.
Wilson, who won Player of the Week for games played from Sept. 9-19, averaged a league-high 23.0 points and 11.3 rebounds while adding 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.8 blocks (5th) and making 45.3 percent of her field goal attempts. The Aces went 4-0 in games in which she played.
In September, Wilson averaged 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 51% from the field as the Aces posted a 7-0 slate in games in which she played. It is her fifth consecutive month averaging at least 25 points and 10 rebounds. Prior to Wilson this year, no player had ever recorded two straight months averaging 25 and 10.
The front-runner for the 2024 M’VP award now ranks tied for 1st in league history for most Player of the Month awards, drawing even with Tina Charles, who has collected 12 in her 13-year career, all during her time in the Eastern Conference.
Wilson capped the season as the first player in WNBA history to top the league charts for points (1’021), rebounds (451), and blocked shots (98) in the same year, a feat also never accomplished in the NBA since that league began recording blocks in the 1973-74 season.
In addition to leading the league in scoring at a clip of 26.9 points per game, she averaged 11.9 rebounds (2nd), 2.6 blocks (1st), 1.8 steals (5th) while posting a league-high 33.6 efficiency rating and shooting 51.8% (7th) from the field.
Hammon led the Aces to a league-best 8-1 record on the month.
In addition to the 8-1 record, Hammon’s Aces posted a league-best +10.3 scoring differential while holding opponents to 74.2 points per game, allowing only one opponent to score more than 80 points.
The Aces(4th seed) will begin their best-of-three first-round series on Sunday when they host the Seattle Storm(5th seed).
Photo: Las Vegas Aces
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