A’ja Wilson seemingly didn’t appreciate the WNBA referees’ officiating in the first half of the game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Chicago Sky on Sunday. Her disappointment was due to her rough start in the game, made worse by her 3-for-13 shooting when the first two quarters ended.
Despite the Aces leading by two points at halftime, Wilson was unfiltered when she called out the referees in her interview, not minding the potential fines she could incur with her rants
“Everyone has to do their jobs—from the players to the refs to the coaches. We have to do our job, and I don’t appreciate being looked at or stared at as if you’re trying to intimidate me or act like I don’t have a voice on this court. So, yes, we are messing up defensively, and it’s like we’re not engaged,” Wilson said in the interview.
“If we need to get engaged, then that’s on us. But also, it goes hand in hand, and that’s it. If I get fined for this, I am terribly sorry, but it’s ridiculous. We’ve been going through this all season, so everybody got to do their job,” she added.
The first half of the game was horrible for both teams. Both the Aces and the Sky had trouble converting points, and the officiating didn’t seem to help, as Wilson would describe. The game would go smoother and more exciting from the start of the second half down to the final shot of the game courtesy of Wilson, which would see Las Vegas claim victory over Chicago, 77-75.
A’Ja Wilson finished the game with 20 points, 18 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks.
WNBA season resumes after Olympic break
Team WNBA upset Team USA in the July 21 All-Star Game, 117-109, sending the national team, which included A’ja Wilson, Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu, and others, to Paris on a rather low note. Despite the exhibition loss, Team USA still managed to maintain its long-running Olympic gold medal streak.
The WNBA season she was finally resumed on Friday, August 16, with games played between the Chicago Sky and the Phoenix Mercury, the Minnesota Lynx and the Washington Mystics, and the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty.
Taurasi, Kahleah Cooper, and Brittney Griner were still on an Olympic high when they combined a total of 63 points for the Mercury’s domination of the Sky, 85-65.
Meanwhile, Napheesa Collier recorded a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Lynx’s victory over the Mystics, 79-68.
Ionescu and Breanna Stewart showed no signs of Olympic fatigue when they combined 45 points to help the Liberty shut out the Sparks, 103-68.
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With the Olympics behind them, the WNBA season resumes with fans eagerly waiting to see what their favorite stars are about to do next.
