Aces ink 2-time MVP Wilson to 2-year extension

Two-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson has signed a two-year contract extension with the Las Vegas Aces, the team announced Friday.

With Wilson returning to the Aces through 2025, the team has her plus fellow stars Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray all under contract through the 2024 season. Plum, Young and Gray will all be unrestricted free agents after that year, while fellow starter Candace Parker will be a free agent after this summer.

Wilson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, led the organization to its first WNBA title last year and has Las Vegas well-positioned to potentially become the first WNBA team to repeat as champions since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.

"A'ja Wilson is a generational talent and a huge foundational piece to our team and organization," Aces general manager Natalie Williams said in a statement. "We are thrilled to have her re-sign and be here in Las Vegas for the next two years."

"When the Aces made me their first-ever draft pick, they entrusted me with a lot," added Wilson. "I'm happy to still be in Las Vegas, winning games, playing at a high level, but also being a part of a community that has embraced me and my teammates over the past six years, and made this city a second home for me."

The defending champion Aces are currently a league-best 14-1 following Thursday's 17-point win over the New York Liberty and boast a plus-232 points differential this season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the only other teams to outscore opponents by 230 or more points over any 15-game span within a season in league history are the 2019 Washington Mystics and the 2000 Houston Comets, who both went on to win the league championship in their respective years.

Wilson -- who was named a WNBA All-Star for the fifth time last week and finished first in fan voting -- is averaging 19.4 points (on a career-high 53.6% shooting from the field), 9.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this season. The news of her contract extension comes following a career year in 2022 in which she took home her second MVP, her first WNBA title and her first WNBA Defensive Player of the Year accolade, and was named MVP of the FIBA World Cup as part of the gold-medal-earning Team USA.