Aces’ A’ja Wilson (ankle) out, but no long-term problems

NEW YORK – Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson was ruled out of Sunday’s 75-71 loss to the New York Liberty after suffering a right ankle injury in the final minute of her team’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday.

Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon described the injury as a minor tweak and said there are no long-term concerns after Wilson underwent imaging, but they are taking her slowly and will see how she feels before the Aces’ next game on Wednesday against the Indiana Fever.

“There’s never a good time to do it, but she has a few days to get the ankle fixed and get some rest,” Hammon said, calling the team’s approach to Wilson “very precautionary.”

Wilson was seen wearing walking boots as he entered the Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Aces started Megan Gustafson and Alysha Clark alongside their usual backcourt of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.

Wilson has shown remarkable durability during her WNBA career, last missing a game in 2019. Her 172 consecutive game appearances prior to Sunday marked the longest active streak in the league.

“She’s super competitive. She loves to compete and she takes super care of her body,” Hammon said. “She makes all the decisions off the court that you never see or hear about to put her in the best position to play her best every night. And that’s really what a professional player is… and she’s tough. I mean, she’ll play through fatigue. She’ll play through some aches and pains, and not everyone is able to do that.”

Wilson is the clear favorite to win MVP, averaging 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game this season. That scoring average is on pace to become the highest for a single season in league history. She is also 11 points away from setting a record for most points scored in a WNBA season and 71 points away from reaching 1,000.

Wilson’s absence comes after Young (rest) and Plum (ankle) also missed a game each in the past two weeks. Young, Plum, Wilson and Gray all competed for the U.S. team at the Olympics, an experience that Hammon said is physically and mentally taxing on the athletes.

The two-time defending champions are 22-13 this year and fourth in the standings. The first-place Liberty have defeated the Aces in all three games this season.

“They all adore A’ja. They love A’ja,” Hammon said of the team. “I think they want to do a great job for her when she’s not there and support her as best they can. Go out there, play hard, compete and see what happens.”