CNN
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Las Vegas ace superstar A’ja Wilson made history on Wednesday, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history and earning 5,000 career points.
Wilson only needed seven points to head to the ace game against the Connecticut Sun at Michelove Ultra Arena.
The three-time league MVP is the 28th player with 5,000 career points, but achieved the feat in just 238 games. Wilson improves Breanna Stewart’s previous record, which won the mark in 242 games.
Wilson, who scored 5,000 points in 321 days with age 28, is also the second youngest player to reach that milestone behind Lauren Jackson, who did it from age 28 to 96 days in his 259th match.
At a subsequent press conference, Wilson showed the shoes he was wearing during the game – inspired by Tiana from the film “The Princess and the Frog.” She said she wouldn’t put on her shoes again to remember her accomplishments.
Wilson then called her name etched into the history book as a “really special moment.”
“It meant a lot to me. It was a special season for us,” Wilson told reporters. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, but if you can hit a milestone like this in a league like this, you won’t be noticed.
“I’m definitely going to cherish this moment. It was a lot of fun, but obviously we have a lot to do.”
Wilson’s historic achievement comes from a typical all-round performance by the Las Vegas center, who won Connecticut 85-59 on Wednesday.
The two-time WNBA champion finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steel and three blocks. She has now scored double-digit points in each of her last 62 regular-season games. This is the seventh longest winning streak in league history and the longest active streak.
Wilson finished the game with 5,015 career points. He is ranked 27th in the WNBA’s all-time high, leaving him away from leader Diana Tauracy with 10,646.
Her performance on Wednesday meant she became the sixth player and the fastest player so she could have 5,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, 500 assists, 400 block shots and 200 steel in WNBA history.
“It’s obviously a big milestone for her. It’s impressive,” ace head coach Becky Hunmon told reporters. “It’s funny, she gets all these individual numbers and praises, but I can say she’ll trade them in a second for victory.
“Win, everything else happens in a happy place, because if you win and lose 40, it’s awful. You can’t celebrate it and she’s wired like that. She wants to win.”
After Wednesday’s results, the ace came in seventh in the WNBA rankings with a 7-7 record and number one after five games for the Minnesota Links.
