When Aces gamers donned A’ja Wilson jerseys forward of their Recreation 1 conflict in opposition to the Liberty on Sunday, it was assumed they have been simply supporting their MVP and group captain.
Nonetheless, they have been, the truth is, protesting Wilson not profitable the 2024 Defensive Participant of the Yr award, which went to Lynx star Napheesa Collier.
After her team’s 87-77 loss, head coach Becky Hammon revealed she was shocked when she noticed her gamers in Wilson jerseys on the bus journey to the world. She added that sure different gamers wore Tiffany Haye’s jersey to assist her case for the WNBA’s Sixth Girl of the Yr award.
“Once I was on the bus, I used to be like ‘Why is everybody sporting jerseys?’ It is their means of supporting one another,” Hammon stated, via Noa Dalzell. “I feel it is their little protest for A’ja not getting DPOY, and it is in all probability their assist for Tip [Haye] to get Sixth Participant. It is simply stating the apparent, I’d say. This group has nice chemistry. They’ve a whole lot of enjoyable collectively.”
Collier edged out Wilson for the award by just 10 votes (36 to 26) after anchoring one of many league’s greatest defensive items this season. Minnesota completed second in defensive ranking (94.8) and first in opponent discipline aim proportion (41%) thanks largely to Collier’s rim safety and on-ball protection.
Wilson had a sound case for the award, too. The three-time MVP was first in blocks (2.6), fifth in steals (1.8) and second in rebounds (11.9) to go together with her dominance on the offensive facet of the ball. Nonetheless, her Aces completed fifth in defensive ranking (99.6) and seventh in opponent discipline aim proportion (43.3%). As such, voters have been justified in rewarding the participant from the group who topped most defensive metrics.
Whereas Wilson getting ignored for the award upset her teammates, the Aces should regroup shortly earlier than Tuesday’s Recreation 2. The reigning two-time WNBA champions have been completely outclassed in Recreation 1 of the semifinals by a red-hot Liberty group that’s now the odds-on favorite to win the title. The Liberty are out for revenge after dropping final yr’s finals to Wilson’s Aces in 4 video games.
