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Becky Hammon, 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee coach, jokingly interrupted United States Vice President Kamala Harris during her speech to hype up her star player A'ja Wilson.
Harris welcomed the 2022 WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces to the White House on Friday. She was giving props to the Aces players during her welcome speech, especially superstar A'ja Wilson, who exploded for a WNBA record 53 points against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.
Hammon interrupted the Vice President to add context that Wilson achieved the rare feat in just 33 minutes.
"That's different!" said Becky Hammon
WNBA quarters last just 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes in the NBA, so players can only play a maximum of 40 minutes.
Hence, scoring performances of 50+ points are rare. Only two other players have ever crossed 50 points in a WNBA game - 53 points by Liz Cambage in 2018 and 51 points by Riquna Williams in 2013.
A'ja Wilson scored her 53 faster than both aforementioned players. She played just 33 minutes and 18 seconds compared to Cambage (37 mins) and Williams (34 mins).
She shot 16-23 (69.5%) from the field and made 20 of her 21 free throw attempts. Wilson also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots.
A'ja Wilson is one of the finest active players in the WNBA. She won the MVP award and the DPOY award last season, en route her first WNBA championship.
Only a handful of players ever achieve both awards in the same season, with just three players in NBA and five in WNBA history. She led her team in points, blocks and rebounds during the 2022 playoffs.
Las Vegas Aces have exploded with coach Becky Hammon
The Las Vegas Aces have taken the league by storm since Becky Hammon took over the coaching duties. After losing to the Phoenix Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Semifinals and replaced five-time champion coach Bill Laimbeer with Hammon.
Becky Hammon began her coaching career as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. She was part of his coaching staff from 2014 to 2022 before her first head coaching gig with the Aces.
She took over a team that had one of the worst offenses in the league and ranked last in 3-point shooting. She had a lot of work to do but silenced all the doubters. Hammon's offensive strategies have turned the team's fortunes around.
After taking over as head coach, the Aces repeated as Western Conference champions with a 26-10 record.
Hammon was awarded the WNBA Coach of the Year award. The Aces beat the Mercury in the first round 2-0, sent the Seattle Storm home with a 3-1 win in the semifinals and won the WNBA Finals 3-1 against the Connecticut Sun. Becky Hammon is the only rookie coach to win the WNBA Finals.
The Las Vegas Aces have a 30-4 record, by far the best in the league. The 30th win on Thursday set the new WNBA record for wins in a season, surpassing the 2014 Phoenix Mercury (29). The league expanded the 2022-23 regular season to 40 games, so the Aces have six games left to improve their tally.
Guess the Lakers players!
