A'ja Wilson Gets Roasted By Fans For Crucial Missed Layup During Aces-Liberty
The Las Vegas Aces are now on the brink of elimination from the 2024 WNBA Playoffs after suffering an 88-84 defeat to the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.
Despite the loss, the 2024 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson produced a solid performance. She finished the game with 24 points on 11-18 shooting from the field, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
However, Wilson came up short during her team's most vital possession as the game was winding down.
The Aces had the ball while down two points to the Liberty with about 25 seconds left. Wilson had the ball and dribbled along the baseline while being guarded by Jonquel Jones. She got past Jones and went for a layup — and airballed it.
A’ja Wilson air-balled a layup with the game on the line right after Sabrina Ionescu drained a jumper to give the Liberty the lead.
— Hardwood Junkies (@hardwoodjunkies) October 2, 2024
This must be that white privilege A’ja was complaining about. pic.twitter.com/oiyGx6DX8K
The fight for the rebound ended up being a jump ball, which eventually gave the Liberty possession. This drive and ensuing missed layup was ultimately the nail in the coffin for the two-time defending WNBA champions. And fans on social media are letting Wilson have it for the vital miss.
X user @BricksCenter reposted a viral video of a fan failing miserably to make a shot during a San Antonio Spurs mini-game competition with the caption, "A’ja Wilson with the game on the line".
A’ja Wilson with the game on the line pic.twitter.com/0vm0ilpK0q
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) October 2, 2024
Another X user posted a video of Jayson Tatum ducking for cover as the press conference backdrop around him collapses with the caption, "A’ja Wilson for the tie”.
“A’ja Wilson for the tie” pic.twitter.com/Ijjq1JoK5A
— d (@dukejoint) October 2, 2024
"somebody tweeted 'A’irball' 😭😭😭😭😭," wrote another X user.
somebody tweeted “A’irball”😭😭😭😭😭
— cj (@wsgadlibs) October 2, 2024
There's no question that Wilson is the best female basketball player in the world, and every player misses seemingly easy shots from time to time. But if the Aces end up getting eliminated by the Liberty, she might be thinking about this miss all offseason.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.