For once, A’ja Wilson chose to sit one out, and that could be exactly what the Las Vegas Aces need for another championship run.
Wilson was originally named to Team USA for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, but the four-time WNBA MVP withdrew from the tournament for health reasons –Team USA won the World Cup without her, beating France 97-79 last Sept. 13 for its fifth consecutive title. With the WNBA regular season set to resume after more than a two-week break, the decision gives Wilson a valuable stretch of rest before Las Vegas begins its title defense.
That could prove especially important considering the physical toll of another long WNBA season. Wilson has remained one of the league’s most dominant players, but she has also dealt with injury issues throughout 2026, including her knee and back. Rather than immediately jumping into another international tournament, she gets to spend the World Cup break recovering and preparing for the games that matter most to the Aces.
The Aces also have plenty to play for.
Las Vegas enters the final stretch of the regular season with a 27-13 record, good for third in the Western Conference. The Aces have averaged 90.6 points per game while allowing 86.5, giving them a +5.1 point differential that ranks among the league’s best.
They have already secured a playoff spot, but their final four games will determine where they land in the postseason picture. Currently, they are behind the Minnesota Lynx, who sit atop the league at 31-9, and the Golden State Valkyries, who are second at 29-11.
The good news for Vegas is that Wilson doesn’t have to carry the entire load.
She is obviously the centerpiece, averaging around 26 points per game, but Jackie Young has developed into a legitimate second star. Young was averaging 18.9 points per game through the regular season’s first 40 games and has repeatedly shown that she can take over when Wilson isn’t at her best.
Young was also one of the Aces representing Team USA in the World Cup, meaning she won’t get quite the same extended rest as Wilson. She nevertheless finished the tournament with 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and scored 18 points in the gold-medal victory over France.
Then there’s Chelsea Gray, the veteran floor general who continues to give the Aces something that doesn’t show up entirely in the box score. Gray also played for Team USA, alongside Young, during the World Cup.
That trio remains the foundation of Becky Hammon’s team. Wilson provides the interior dominance, Young supplies athleticism and scoring on the perimeter, while Gray gives Vegas experience and playmaking when the game slows down in the postseason.
Vegas isn’t coming into the playoffs as an unstoppable juggernaut. A 111-71 loss to New York in August exposed what can happen when Wilson, Young and Gray are unavailable.
Still, the Aces have been good enough to put themselves in position to make another run. More importantly, their best player has been given something she probably needed more than another international gold medal: time to heal.
The Aces already know what it takes to win a championship. They already have three (2022, 2023, 2025) and they still have the superstar who makes them a nightmare matchup for anybody. If Wilson comes out of this break healthy and refreshed, we could be looking at a fourth title for this superb dynasty.
