Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson left her team’s 87-78 loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday after hurting her right wrist but has avoided a serious injury, coach Becky Hammon said Thursday.
Before Thursday’s loss to the Washington Mystics, Hammon told reporters that an MRI revealed a wrist sprain for Wilson, a three-time WNBA MVP. Hammon said that “nothing’s broken,” but there is no current timeline for Wilson’s return to the lineup.
Wilson posted a message on social media on Wednesday that seemed to indicate good news about her MRI results, and the lack of any broken bones means she avoided the worst-case outcome.
“Welp! Nothing wakes you up like the sound of an MRI machine lol!” Wilson wrote. “But just wanna say thank you for all prayers! NYL thank you sooooo much for the quick help and privacy I truly appreciate it. To my squad thank you for preventing my crash out lol! God has a plan that I’ll never question. We are gonna be alright!”
Wilson was injured late in the second quarter against the Liberty when she 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. She eventually returned to the bench in street clothes with a big wrap on her wrist.
The Aces will be thrilled if Wilson does indeed avoid a long-term absence with the sprain. This has been a disappointing season for the 2022 and 2023 champions, who slipped to 9-11 with Thursday’s defeat. If the season ended today, they 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.
Wilson, who won her third MVP award last season, has once again been terrific this year. She is averaging 20.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.4 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 against the Golden State Valkyries on July 12 and the Dallas Wings on July 16 before the All-Star break.