A’ja Wilson sets single-season WNBA scoring record

A’ja Wilson has been scoring at a record pace all season long and now she owns the all-time mark for points in a single year.

It has been an impressive run, but it is also unlikely that the record will stand very long.

Wilson broke the year-old record of 939 held by Jewell Loyd on Wednesday night in Las Vegas’ win at Indiana. But now consider this: Four of the top five all-time single-season scoring marks have come in the last two years, including Loyd’s.

Part of the reason is the league has several explosive offensive players and the WNBA continues to expand its schedule. When WNBA was launched in 1997, each team played 28 games. From 2003-19, teams played 34 games and last season each played 40 games. Next year, each will play 44 games.

When combining the talent with more opportunities, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Wilson, Loyd or someone else top the number of points the Aces’ star finishes with this year.

Wilson’s most impressive number may not be her final tally.

She is shattering the previous scoring average mark set by Diana Taurasi in 2006 of 25.29 points. Taurasi surpassed the previous record held by Katie Smith of 23.09 points set in 2001. Cynthia Cooper set the bar originally with her record of 22.18 points in the WNBA’s inaugural season of 1997.

Las Vegas’ two-time MVP is averaging 27.31 points and Wilson is on pace to be the first player ever to reach 1,000 points in a single season with the Aces having four games left. That’s a 4.5-point improvement per game from her previous best set last season.

“You’re really starting to see a really, really gifted woman come into this maturity stage of not only her life, but basketball career,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “She’s not just the best player in the world, she might be the most loved and adored by her teammates. I mean, this woman is special.”

Wilson has increased her range. In addition to having a consistent 15-foot jump shot, she now hits 3-pointers at nearly a 34% rate.

Not everyone is on a scoring binge. As a whole, scoring is down about a point a game in the WNBA this season with teams averaging 81.8 points.

Here’s a look in alphabetical order at who could top Wilson’s single-season total point mark next year: