Two-time WNBA defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, are off to a surprisingly slow start to the 2024-25 season. On Sunday night, they fell to the Los Angeles Sparks 96-92 for their second straight setback, dropping them to 5-4 on the season.
Las Vegas lost six games last season. The Aces currently sit in sixth place in the league and are 1-2 in the Western Conference in Commissioner Cup competition. The Aces have competed in the last two Commissioner Cup finals.
Former Caitlin Clark Iowa Teammate Reveals Who She Thinks Is the Best Women’s Basketball Player In the World
While Las Vegas’ struggles are certainly newsworthy, the bigger story was said following the game. In the post-game interview, former Iowa Hawkeye and current WNBA rookie Kate Martin gave major props to teammate A’ja Wilson, who was sitting next to her.
“All my teammates have been in the league for a very long time and I’m sitting next to the best player in the world (Wilson). And not only is she the best player in the world, she’s the best leader I’ve ever been around.
She brings people together and she has so much confidence in every single person on our team, and that just builds up our locker room so much. Like, for the best player in the world to tell me to keep shooting it and stay aggressive, I feel on top of the world. It’s just cool that I have vets like that who are gonna support me and they respect me, too.”
While this was not a shot at Iowa legend Caitlin Clark, with whom Martin played four seasons at Iowa, some of her supporters did, as expected. Clark, of course, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, is considered to be a generational talent, but it was Martin who was considered the leader of the Hawkeyes, who finished runners-up in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
Martin’s comments were more about paying homage to Wilson, who has taken the No. 18 overall pick under her wing.
Martin picked up her first start last night against Atlanta. The 6-foot guard scored a career-high 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, including 3 of 3 from the 3-point line, and doled out three assists, tying a season-high. She averages 5.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting .361/.392/1.000 for the season.
According to Alek Arend of Athlon Sports, Martin and Clark are still close fans.
A’Ja Wilson the Best Player In The World?
The WNBA is loaded with talent, such as Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Alyssa Thomas, to name a few. But it is hard to argue with Martin’s assessment.
Wilson is a two-time MVP, winning the award in 2020 and 2022. The 2023 reigning WNBA Finals MVP is also the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Wilson has gotten off to a fantastic start to this season. The 27-year-old leads the league in scoring (28.3) and rebounds (11.1) per game. She is also first in blocks (3.0), sixth in steals (1.6), and first in player efficiency (37.9).
Wilson has produced seven double-doubles in nine games while shooting .508/.417/ .833. Wilson has scored at least 20 points in all nine contests, topping the 30-point mark three times. She also has posted seven double-digit rebound games, grabbing at least 15 boards twice, and has recorded multiple blocks on six occassions.
