When basketball fans see the photo of Wilt Chamberlain holding up a hand-written sign after his 100-point game or watch highlights of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar exerting his will beneath the basket, they probably have one thought:
I wish I could have seen it live.
Well, A’ja Wilson is giving fans the next-best thing. She’s put together the most remarkable regular season in the WNBA’s nearly three-decade history. Wilson tallied league single-season records in points (1,021), rebounds (451) and blocks (98), marking the first time that one player has led in each of those categories.
Domination like that is so rare, it’s never happened in the NBA (Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain might have done it, but blocks did not become an official NBA stat until the 1973-74 season).
And she did it in a year when she’s carried the burden of helping extend the U.S. women’s gold-medal streak to an eighth Olympics (check) and giving the Las Vegas Aces a chance to chase a three-peat (they open the postseason Sunday against the Seattle Storm).
It is easy, when any great athlete is in the twilight of their career, to look back wistfully on all their accomplishments and remember when. But in Wilson, who at 28 is just reaching her prime, fans have the opportunity to revel in her greatness now.
Her teammates certainly do.
“When you have players of this caliber that are playing now, appreciate that,” said Alysha Clark after the Aces’ 86-75 win at Indiana on Sept. 11. “Because one day she’s not going to be here. She’s going to retire and go on and live her life, and people are going to marvel at what she’s done. Marvel at it now.”
Third-year coach Becky Hammon, who spent eight years as an NBA assistant, has spent weeks trying to think of a comparison — which NBA player’s skills and stats parallel Wilson’s, someone who could give casual fans and viewers context on just how good she is? But Hammon is at a loss.
Asked if she’s able to truly appreciate Wilson’s play when it’s happening, or if she’s too caught up in coaching, Hammon laughed.
“I mean, I have two eyes,” Hammon said, with a laugh. “But then it’s on to the next play. You can’t sit there and linger in the greatness. And I’ve gotta make sure her ass is doing it right the next time.”
And yet, when Hammon is re-watching games, she becomes so beside herself at Wilson’s excellence, she’ll hit pause and implore anyone and everyone around her to look and see what she sees. Sometimes Wilson’s opponent will be in her shooting motion, the ball starting to leave her hand, and Wilson’s feet are still on the ground. But her reaction is so quick, her athleticism so rare, that she can leap in a split second and swat away the shot.
Wilson’s play this season has been somewhat overshadowed by the shortcomings of her team, which struggled early in the season without point guard Chelsea Gray (the Aces went 6-6 while Gray nursed a foot injury). Las Vegas finds itself in an unfamiliar position, starting the postseason with the fourth seed.
Still, Wilson has been so dominant all season, she is nearly a lock to win MVP when league awards are announced next week. The only question is if she’ll be a unanimous pick. Only one MVP in league history has earned every top vote: In 1997, Cynthia Cooper was the No. 1 selection on 37 ballots. This year, there are 60 voters.
But even if she adds that unanimous line to an already impressive résumé, Wilson, who likes to say she “feeds off greed.” isn’t satisfied. Or that impressed with herself.
“I don’t even feel like I’ve tapped into that zone (yet) where I’m like, oh, this is some next level (stuff). I still feel like I have more,” she told USA TODAY Sports.
When Wilson was playing at South Carolina, helping the Gamecocks build the foundation of what’s become the new women’s college hoops dynasty, coach Dawn Staley knew exactly what to say to make Wilson take it to another gear.
“You’re blending!” Staley would holler from the sideline.
Her point: Wilson should stand out on every play. It’s advice — or rather, a warning — that sticks in Wilson’s mind.
So what will fuel Wilson if she is, in fact, the unanimous MVP choice? Wilson didn’t hesitate.
“I wanna get back-to-back unanimous,” she said.
Definitely not blending in. And definitely not to be missed.