Wilson puts herself in best position to lead Aces on another playoff run

Wilson puts herself in best position to lead Aces on another playoff run

Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026 | 2 a.m.

Through no fault of her own, A’ja Wilson became the subject of criticism as the summer wound down.

The soon-to-be five-time WNBA Most Valuable Player opted to sit out of the FIBA Women’s World Basketball Cup in Germany to rest and recover from minor lingering injuries. Not everyone agreed with her choice to pass on the event as the WNBA paused for three weeks expressly to give players like Wilson the chance to represent their countries.

But the Las Vegas Aces stood by Wilson and defended her decision. There’s no indication that the franchise encouraged Wilson to stay home, but it should be thrilled that she did.

The Aces’ only chance to win a record-tying fourth WNBA championship when the playoffs begin Sept. 27 is if Wilson completely takes over and proves unstoppable for the rest of the league.

It’s not out of the question, not after she’s done varying versions of that in three of the past four years to lead the Aces to titles.

The 30-year-old’s career postseason numbers are actually a touch better than her regular-season counterparts, which is unbelievable considering the h...