On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Aces secured an 80-66 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, pushing their season record to 4-1. A’Ja Wilson had an outstanding performance, scoring 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting, grabbing 15 rebounds, and providing three assists.
She also excelled defensively with four blocks and two steals. Kelsey Plum contributed 10 points and six assists to the win.
Caitlin Clark gets aggressively guarded while the other team is still on offense
Hammon’s remarks on WNBA’s rising popularity
After the game, Aces coach Becky Hammon conducted a postgame interview with Kelsey Wilson. When asked about the league’s parity, Hammon notably refrained from crediting Caitlin Clark for the WNBA’s rising popularity.
“Well, I think there is a lot of good players in this league,” Hammon said.
“If you’re just a recent follower of women’s basketball, this has been brewing for a while.
“Women’s basketball has been at this boiling point. Building, building, building. And, you know, our arena was sold out long before Caitlin Clark was coming into the league.
“I think women’s basketball has just been building. [Clark] is a part of the tipping point. She’s coming in at this time where it was ready to tip over and her presence has tipped some things over.
“But there has been a lot of other things going on behind the scenes to get us to this point by a lot of other people.”
The Aces have seen impressive fan support, selling out 15 of their 20 home games this season, the highest in the league.
Clark, who has transitioned from an Iowa Hawkeye standout to a star for the Indiana Fever, has played a significant role in attracting new fans and boosting the WNBA’s overall viewership.
“I think Caitlin is very gracious to mention those names too and understanding that the women that came before her to pave the way for this tipping point and this great time to be a women’s basketball player,” Hammon noted.
