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A’ja Wilson was again a dominant force in the Las Vegas Aces’ WNBA Playoff win on Tuesday. The center tallied 24 points and 13 boards to help her team advance to the second round of the postseason.
But while she was posting another monster game, a teammate was scoring a major accomplishment of her own. Chelsea Gray rose to 15th all-time in WNBA Playoff points.
The woman she bested to move into that No. 15 spot? Head coach Becky Hammon!
Hammon played 16 professional seasons with both the New York Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars (now the Aces). Across those 16 years, she made 13 postseason appearances while amassing 722 points.
Gray entered her most recent matchup with the Seattle Storm just six points behind Hammon. A 12-point performance on Tuesday would lift her one spot higher on the all-time leaderboard!
A’ja Wilson, who’s currently ranked ahead of both her teammate and head coach in playoff scoring, learned of Chelsea Gray’s feat in her postgame interview.
She had a comical response to finding out!
“Oooh, Becky’s not gonna like that!” she quipped before praising her teammates.
Chelsea Gray passed Becky Hammon for #15 on the all-time WNBA playoff scoring list tonight:
A’ja Wilson jokes: “Ooh, Becky’s not gonna like that” pic.twitter.com/bDKNAjJK7u
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) September 25, 2024
“When I see the work that my guards put in, I know that when they get on the court, it’s gonna be greatness… I love them so much. They go through so much stuff, but they show up every single day and that’s what I love the most.”
Those guards played a major role in the series clinching win.
Not only did Chelsea Gray score 12 points, but she added nine assists and a steal. Kelsey Plum, meanwhile, tallied a game-high 29 points.
The Aces will now advance to face Becky Hammon’s old team, the top-seeded New York Liberty.