A'ja Wilson responds to Caitlin Clark MVP warning in way only she can

A’ja Wilson responded to grumbling calls for rookie sensation Caitlin Clark to win WNBA MVP by dropping 20 points against the Connecticut Sun in another tremendous performance.

On Friday, Wilson led her reigning back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces to a 72-67 victory over the Sun. While Kelsey Plum led all scorers with 27 points, Wilson tallied 20 herself to go with eight rebounds, two steals, and a pair of blocks.

Along with her defensive prowess, Wilson hit the go-ahead jumper with 58.5 seconds left as the Aces rallied down the stretch to overturn a 15-point deficit to secure victory. After Connecticut's DiJonai Carrington missed a jumper with 40.4 seconds left, Chelsea Gray connected on a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 71-67 with 18.8 seconds remaining.

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Wilson split a pair at the foul line with 5.4 seconds left to seal the win. The result means Las Vegas begins a four-game road trip on a winning note, with the 28-year-old in the thick of it once again.

However, the 2024 WNBA season has seemingly surrounded Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft who has effectively transitioned from college to the pros. The 22-year-old left Iowa as the all-time leading points scorer in NCAA history across both men's and women's competitions, and she has hit the ground - or court - running with the Indiana Fever .

For the first time in five years, the Fever is over .500. Indiana has been in hot form since the Olympic break, with Clark leading the way; following their defeat to the Minnesota Lynx on Friday in which the guard put up 25 points with eight rebounds and eight assists, the 18-17 Fever have won 9 of last 12.

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Clark has produced historic moments of magic as a rookie. The No. 1 overall pick leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made, while she posted the first-ever triple-double by a rookie, and set the record for most assists in a WNBA game when she dropped 19 dimes in the Fever's loss to the Dallas Wings .

Given her impressive performances, Clark is almost locked in to win Rookie of the Year ahead of Angel Reese . However, some have started to suggest she could do an incredible double by collecting MVP honors too - but Wilson is in a league of her own, at this stage.

Across the 2024 season, Wilson has tallied a league-leading 27.5 points per game to go with 12.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. The two-time WNBA MVP’s closest competitor in terms of scoring is Wings sharpshooter Arike Ogunbowale, who has posted 22.6 points per game.

Wilson and the 22-12 Aces are next in action against the New York Liberty in a rematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals on Sunday, Sept. 8, the same time Clark and the Fever will look to return to winning ways against the Atlanta Dream . Wilson and Clark will then face off in back-to-back games next week at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.