SI:AM | A’ja Wilson’s Record-Setting Night

Plus, college football’s most intriguing suits.

Good morning, I’m Kevin Sweeney, filling in for Dan Gartland. We break down a historic night in the WNBA.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏀 A’ja Wilson matches WNBA single-game scoring record

⚾ White Sox fire GM Rick Hahn

🏈 College football’s most interesting executives

A’ja Wilson’s 53 points match WNBA record

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson had a night for the ages Tuesday. Her 53 points in a 112–100 win over the Atlanta Dream equaled Liz Cambage’s single-game league record set in 2018 and helped the Aces get back on track after two losses in three games.

Wilson was cooking from the opening tip. She scored four of Las Vegas’s first five buckets and had 10 points in the game’s first four minutes. Four free throws in the game’s final minute sealed Wilson’s spot in the record book, with the latter two coming after a technical foul by Dream coach Tanisha Wright. In all, Wilson needed just 23 shots to tally her 53 points, and she knocked down a sparkling 20 of 21 free throw attempts on the night.

Wilson went 20-for-21 from the charity stripe Tuesday / Screenshot via CBS Sports Network

The eye-popping statistical performance from the two-time MVP earned plenty of praise from around the sports world, including a shout-out from LeBron James.

Meanwhile, Aces coach Becky Hammon had quite the postgame praise for Wilson.

“She runs like a deer, jumps like a cat and catches as if she were Spider-Man,” Hammon said, per ESPN. “She is just special. Her real gift is in her humility and grace and how she handles herself and her teammates. She is a phenomenal superstar.”

The win was yet another high in what is a remarkable season in Las Vegas. Now 29–4, the Aces could match the WNBA’s top single-season winning percentage if they win all seven of their remaining games, matching the now defunct Houston Comets’ 1998 mark. After showing a few cracks in the armor in recent losses to the Sparks and Liberty, Wilson’s performance is a clear signal of the formidable challenge they will pose in the postseason.

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