A'ja Wilson's Second 1,000-Point Season Stands Alone
A'ja Wilson became the first WNBA player with two 1,000-point seasons when she reached 1,000 again with 3:39 left in the second quarter, then finished with 30 points in Las Vegas's 98-77 win over Seattle on Sunday.
Photo: WNBA.com. Official A'ja Wilson headshot, Las Vegas Aces.
The free throw with 3:39 left in the second quarter at Michelob ULTRA Arena put A'ja Wilson at 1,000 for the season again.
Wilson became the first WNBA player with two 1,000-point seasons, then finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Las Vegas's 98-77 win over Seattle on Sunday.
Becky Hammon said Wilson shot the free throws like nothing happened. Last time the game stopped. This time the ledger just flipped while the Aces kept walking Seattle down the floor. Wilson went 16-of-18 at the line and posted her 12th 30-point game of 2026, the most in the league this season. It was also her 49th career 30-point night, second only to Diana Taurasi's 54. Jackie Young added 23 points and eight assists. Chelsea Gray scored 15. The Aces ran a 21-2 first-quarter burst and never let the Storm own the paint for long enough to turn a deficit into a night.
The history is the clean part. In 2024 Wilson became the first player to clear 1,000 points in a single WNBA season, finishing with 1,021 in 37 games. Sunday made her the first to do it twice. Nobody else sits in that club. Kelsey Mitchell became the second player to reach 1,000 in a season this year and now owns the single-season scoring mark at 1,034 after passing Wilson's 2024 total. Wilson left Sunday night at 1,021 again with two regular-season games left against Los Angeles and Phoenix. The race for the season scoring crown is still live. The race for two 1,000-point seasons is not. That one already has a closed door and one name on it.
Seattle entered Sunday at 8-35 and has now locked the worst record of the year. Rookie Flau'jae Johnson still dropped a season-high 29 with five threes. Dominique Malonga scored 25 on 10-of-13. Those lines matter for Storm film. They do not change what Wilson did to the schedule. Las Vegas sits at 29-13 after a fifth straight win and holds a one-game lead over Atlanta for third place, with the top four seeds still fighting for first-round home court. A four-time MVP who can touch 1,000 twice while the Aces chase seeding is the playoff problem every scouting report has to solve first.
The usage tells the rest. Wilson did not need a 40-point splash to open the club of one. She needed free throws in the second quarter, finishing at the rim, and enough defensive activity to leave with two steals on a home win that finished as a 21-point gap. Mitchell's record chase and Wilson's second trip to 1,000 can live in the same sentence without canceling each other. One is a single-season ceiling fight with games left. The other is a career shape no player had drawn before Sunday night.
Photo: Las Vegas Aces / WNBA.com (David Becker / NBAE). A'ja Wilson #22 Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm, Sep 20, 2026 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Sources
- Associated Press via WTOP. Wilson 30 points, 16-of-18 FT, 49th career 30-point game (2nd behind Taurasi 54). Aces 98-77 Storm. Aces 29-13, five straight, one-game lead on Atlanta for third. Storm 8-35, worst record clinched. Young 23 and 8 assists. Gray 15. Johnson season-high 29 (five 3s). Malonga 25 (10-of-13). 21-2 first-quarter run. Published Sep 20, 2026, 11:37 p.m.
- Associated Press via ABC News. Same AP wire.
- USA TODAY. First player with two 1,000-point seasons; first to reach 1,000 in 2024. Mitchell second player to 1,000 this season. Wilson fastest historically (37 games in 2024). Mitchell broke Wilson's single-season scoring record (1,021 in 38 games) on Sep 18. Published Sep 20, 2026.
- Yahoo Sports. Milestone at 3:39 of Q2. Wilson 30/8/4/2. 12th 30-point game this season (league lead). Season total 1,021 with two games left (Sparks Sep 22, Mercury Sep 24). Mitchell at 1,034. Hammon quote on free throws. Published Sep 21, 2026.
- ESPN recap / box gameId 401857205. Final 98-77. Wilson 30.
- Las Vegas Aces news / game gallery. Same-night stills (David Becker / NBAE; Ethan Miller / Getty).
- Photos: WNBA.com Wilson 1628932. Aces CDN David Becker NBAE_10.
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