Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson left her team’s 87-78 loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday with a right wrist injury. During the second half, she returned to the bench in street clothes with a big wrap on her wrist. Aces coach Becky Hammon did not have an update on Wilson after the game but said she will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
With just over four minutes to play in the second quarter, Wilson drove to the basket and took an awkward fall after being fouled by Leonie Fiebich. Wilson’s legs got taken out from under her and she tried to brace her fall with her hands as she crashed to the ground.
Wilson stayed down on the ground for a brief period and the Aces’ medical staff rushed to her side, as did her teammates, who held up towels to provide a sense of privacy. After a timeout, Wilson remained to the floor to take her free throws. If she had not done so, she would not have been able to return to the game. She continued to play for a few more possessions, but eventually went to the locker room just before halftime.
As the teams came back to the court for the second half, Wilson was nowhere to be seen and was soon ruled out for the remainder of the game.
It’s too early to know how long Wilson may be sidelined, but the Aces will hope that she does not face a long-term absence. This has been a disappointing season for the 2022 and 2023 champions, who fell below .500 to 9-10 with Tuesday’s defeat. They are stuck in ninth place in the standings, and if the season ended today would not make the playoffs.
The last thing the Aces need at this point is a serious injury for their best player, who previously missed three games with a concussion.
“Whenever a person goes out we all try to step up. I mean, it’s A’ja Wilson, not one person can just fill that role,” Jackie Young said. “We just all try to make it a team effort, but we came up a little bit short. Hoping that it’s nothing too serious… She’s the heart and soul of this team, so we all have her back. She has our back every night.”
Wilson, who won her third MVP award last season, has once again been terrific. Entering Tuesday, she was averaging 21.9 points, nine rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.6 blocks. She is leading the Aces in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, and is top-five in the league in all four of those categories.
The Aces will be in action again on Thursday against the Washington Mystics. They’ll also play the Golden State Valkyries on July 12 and the Dallas Wings on July 16 before the All-Star break.