Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson ranked her wild buzzer-beater against the Phoenix Mercury as the most satisfying bucket of her career. She made this known during her appearance on a Thursday episode of the “First We Feast” podcast.
“Oh, it’s number one,” Wilson said [starting from 2:37]. “All the greats have that super cool picture and it’s like, ‘oh, time just kind of froze and you know it was a bucket.’ I didn’t have that until that moment, and I think that kind of solidified my career at that moment of like being the MVP. So, yeah, I love that. That’s like number one.”
Wilson helped the Aces take down the Mercury in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals. In the closing stages of the game, with five seconds left, she caught the inbounds pass around the elbow. She dribbled once, spun through a double team, faded back, and released a 7-foot turnaround jumper. The ball rattled on the rim but dropped clean with just 0.3 seconds left as the Aces held on for a 90-88 win, taking a 3-0 advantage in the Finals.
Aces coach Becky Hammon said the play was meant for A’ja Wilson. Wilson, in return, praised Coach Hammon for trusting her in such a decisive moment.
“I appreciate Becky trusting me in those moments,” Wilson said. “But those are just playoff basketball moments. Those are moments that you live for. I’m glad I was able to come to work.”
A’ja Wilson finished the game with 34 points and 14 rebounds. This performance made her the first player in WNBA Finals history to record consecutive games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds.
—
### A’ja Wilson Names Most Impactful Drill That Shaped Her Pro Game
A’ja Wilson also revealed the most impactful drill from her youth that shaped her career as a professional during the “First We Feast” podcast.
She recalled a conditioning drill called “wing-to-wing” from her college days under Coach Staley.
“I remember in college, Coach Staley had this drill called wing-to-wing and you’re literally just running up and down the court,” Wilson explained. “I wasn’t really too happy about that because I don’t really like to run like that even though my job is running.”
—
Wilson has turned out to be one of the best players in WNBA history. She led the Aces to their third championship in the 2025 season, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award (shared with Alanna Smith) and earning a record fourth WNBA MVP award. That season, she averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for the Aces.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/wnba/news-a-ja-wilson-ranks-wild-buzzer-beater-against-mercury-all-time-satisfying-buckets-career