A tough night in New York brought an early end to A’ja Wilson’s game.
The Las Vegas Aces forward went down late in the second quarter against the New York Liberty after being fouled on a drive by Leonie Fiebich. With the score at 33–30 and 4:13 left before halftime, Wilson tripped, crashed to the floor, and braced her fall with her wrists after striking the court hard on her shoulder. She stayed down in clear pain while teammates shielded her with towels.
Despite the injury, the three-time WNBA MVP stood up and calmly knocked down both free throws. She remained in the contest long enough to grab another rebound before head coach Becky Hammon pulled her with just over two minutes left in the half. At halftime, Wilson was ruled out with a right wrist injury.
She later returned to the bench with a brace on her wrist as the third quarter got underway. Wilson closed her night with two points, four rebounds, and two assists, shooting 0-for-3 from the field. After the game, Hammon confirmed Wilson would undergo an MRI the following morning to determine the severity of the injury.
The setback comes with the WNBA All-Star Game on the horizon, where Wilson had been selected as a starter for Team Caitlin Clark. Whether she will be able to participate in the July 19 showcase in Indianapolis remains unknown.
This is not her first health concern this season. In June, Wilson missed three straight games while in concussion protocol after taking a blow to the face during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Aces now await medical results to see how serious this wrist issue is and whether it will impact their star’s availability moving forward.
