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A'ja Wilson will not play against the New York Liberty on Sunday. The Las Vegas Aces star is ruled out with a lower right leg injury, her team announced. Wilson, the MVP frontrunner in the 2024 WNBA season, will miss her first game of the year. She wasn't on the injury report until the morning of the game.
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In the 34 games she has played, Wilson has averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.7 blocks, shooting 52.7%.
It's a tough blow for the Aces, who could find it extremely difficult to topple their 2023 WNBA Finals opponents, the Liberty, especially with Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu in top form this season. New York is the best team in the WNBA this year, posting a league-best 28-6 record.
What happened to A'ja Wilson?
Wilson suffered a right lower leg injury against the Connecticut Sun on Friday. She sustained the blow towards the end of the game. Aces coach Becky Hammon hinted at resting Wilson, but nothing was concrete. Sunday's absence against the Liberty seems like a precautionary measure.
Hammon addressed the situation, saying it wasn't a "long-term concern." She also revealed it was an ankle injury. Wilson's status remains up in the air for Wednesday's contest against Indiana Fever.
The Aces rested Kelsey Plum on Tuesday against the Sky, too. Both players were part of Team USA at the Olympics, so the Aces are potentially managing their stars' workload ahead of the playoffs. Las Vegas is fourth in the standings with a 22-12 record entering Sunday's contest.
A'ja Wilson could finish 2024 WNBA season with MVP honors and 2 more records
Wilson is in the middle of a historic season. She's chasing Jewell Lloyd's record for most points in a season and could achieve that the next time she takes to the court. Wilson is 11 points away from it, standing at 929 points. She is also in contention to eclipse the single-season rebounding record held by rookie Angel Reese.
After grabbing a record 446 boards, Reese is out with a wrist injury for the rest of the year. Wilson needs another 41 rebounds to pass her newest frontcourt rival.
