A’ja Wilson Makes WNBA History Against Golden State Valkyries

Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson continues to add feathers to her cap when it comes to basketball history.

The reigning MVP is one of, if not the best, players in the WNBA. Defensively, it is hard to find someone greater. Wilson is top five in the WNBA in steals-per-game, rebounds-per-game and blocks-per-game. It is the blocks that especially stand out, as Wilson is the outright leader in that category, averaging 2.3 blocks while being third in total denials with 57.

Part of Wilson’s greatness has been her longevity, being able to deliver consistent results across her eight-year-career. Such consistency is bound to yield historic cumulative results over the years and in Wednesday night’s game against the Golden State Valkyries, Wilson saw those results.

With just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Wilson slammed down a layup attempt by Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün for Wilson’s 500th career block.

She joins prestigious territory by becoming the 10th WNBA player in history to reach the milestone, joining the likes of Brittney Griner, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker. The Aces celebrated this feat with a post on X.

Her accomplishment may have been made even sweeter by achieving it in front of friends. In addition to her teammates on the Aces, Valkyries guard Kate Martin, who played her rookie season with Wilson and the Aces in 2024, and Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase, who coached Wilson in Las Vegas from 2022-24 while winning two championships together, were able to witness Wilson’s history making block.

Prior to the game, Wilson spoke on her connection with Nakase (via Mia Wachtel of the San Francisco Chronicle).

“That’s my dawg,” Wilson said of the Valkyries head coach. “Nat, we’ll talk about all different types of things, and that’s what I love the most, is just the player-coach bond that we shared. She kept it real with me, and I kept it real with her. That was just a beautiful thing about us and how we continued to grow and flourish, and pick each other’s brains when it came to basketball, but also life.”

The Aces and Valkyries are both battling for playoff spots and have near-identical records, though the Aces have a one-game advantage. Wednesday night’s game will decide the season series between the two teams and for the Aces to continue their success they will need Wilson to continue being her MVP-winning, history-making self.