WNBA: Las Vegas Aces at Chicago Sky
Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Angel Reese’s wrist injury sent her to the bench for the remainder of the season. Worse, it’s cost her a place in the record books in a rather unfortunate development.

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson broke the record for most rebounds in a WNBA season when she corralled seven boards against the Seattle Storm Tuesday.

She now has 451 rebounds with one game remaining in the season.

Earlier this week, the two-time league MVP became the first player ever to surpass 1,000 points in a season. She sits at 1,021 currently as her team gets set to face the Dallas Wings on Thursday.

Wilson has had numerous highlights this season that tend to fly under the radar due to the performance of the rookie class. In a game earlier this month, she joined all-time great Candace Parker as the only WNBA player to record a 40-point, 15-rebound game.

Which, in any league, is Boss Status.

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A’ja Wilson Breaks Angel Reese’s Rebounding Record

This isn’t perhaps the way A’ja Wilson would have wanted to break the WNBA rebounding record. In fact, the record she broke was set by Angel Reese earlier in the season.

Reese broke the record, previously held by Sylvia Fowles, in a loss to the Minnesota Lynx on September 1st. The Chicago Sky forward had been putting up gaudy rebounding numbers all season.

To the point where fans had suggested those numbers were being padded by her inability to hit a shot inside five feet.

Alas, the record was not destined to stand. Reese, just eight days later, announced that she had suffered a season-ending wrist injury. As a result, she would miss the last five games of the regular season.

“Through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed. All I have ever wanted was to come into the W and make an impact,” she told fans at the time. “I can confidently say I have done that and will strive to keep doing so.”

Hopefully, she can return next season and give A’ja Wilson a run for her money with the rebounding record again. It would be an interesting contest.

RELATED: Angel Reese Thanks Supporter Who Said Caitlin Clark Fans Want Indiana Star To Be ‘Face Of Racism’

A’ja Celebrates New Record

During the post-game press conference, A’ja Wilson seemed to take a bit of a backhanded jab at Angel Reese over the rebounding stats. The Aces center suggests she doesn’t “hunt” rebounds the way others might.

“That’s cool,” Wilson told a reporter when asked to comment on the record. “I don’t hunt rebounds so it’s not something that is always on my mind when it comes to just getting the basketball for my team.”

“When it comes to getting them to get them, I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on putting the ball in the hoop,” she added. “I mean, it’s a blessing. This league is tough …”

Scoring, rebounding, and defense – an all-around great player in A’ja. She will almost assuredly be the league MVP this season.

It’s been a historic season for Wilson. Can’t wait to see what she does in the playoffs.

Rusty Weiss is a lifelong NFL and MLB fan (Cowboys/Dodgers) and sometimes fan of college basketball (Xavier). Rusty is... More about Rusty Weiss

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