Browsing: Wilson

LeBron James gave a shoutout to Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson in a post on X after she connected on a game-winning shot to defeat the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals on Wednesday night.

With the score tied 88-88 near the end of the fourth quarter, Wilson buried a turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds left that gave the Aces a two-point win as well as a 3-0 series lead.

She finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds to go along with three blocks, shooting 11-of-20 from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point territory. Wilson also racked up four assists.

Her last-second shot helped the Aces avoid a potential fourth-quarter collapse at the hands of the Mercury. Las Vegas led by 17 points through three quarters but was outscored 29-14 by Phoenix in the fourth.

The Mercury tied the game multiple times near the end of regulation, although Wilson’s clutch jumper kept them from stealing a win.

The seven-time All-Star is in the midst of a dominant 2025 campaign, ending the regular season with averages of 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocks per game on 50.5/42.4/85.5 shooting splits.

Wilson earned her fourth MVP award for her efforts and received a congratulatory message from James for doing so.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is an open fan of Wilson’s, calling her “the head honcho” of the WNBA in Oct. 2024.

James is currently preparing for his 23rd year in the association, as the Los Angeles Lakers open the regular season on Oct. 21.

As for Wilson and the Aces, they’ll look to clinch a championship in Game 4 on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Game 1 of this year’s WNBA Finals, which featured WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces defeating the Phoenix Mercury 89-86 last Friday, was the most-watched Game 1 of the league’s championship round since 1997.

The 1997 season was the league’s inaugural campaign. That marked the only season that the WNBA Finals was just one game. The Houston Comets defeated the New York Liberty 65-51, and the matchup averaged 2.85 million viewers, per Sports Media Watch.

Game 1 of this year’s Finals was an instant classic. Wilson posted yet another double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) while Dana Evans (21 points) and Jewell Loyd (18 points) dominated off the bench. Evans was particularly outstanding, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter.

The back-and-forth matchup went down to the final possession after the Aces took an 89-86 lead following two Jackie Young free throws. Satou Sabally had a contested look from three to tie the game, but it was off the mark.

Las Vegas followed that effort up with a 91-78 win in Game 2. Young led the scoring effort with 32 points, while Wilson posted 28 points and 14 rebounds.

This year marks the first time the WNBA Finals is a best-of-seven series, so the Aces need two more wins to secure their third championship.

Game 3 will take place in Phoenix on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Torrie Wilson has a few dream scenarios sheâ€d get on board with regarding an in-ring return.

Wilson recently spoke with WrestleZoneâ€s Matt Black and reflected on her career in the pro wrestling industry. Wilson appeared at WWE Evolution 2 last month and continues to be a popular figure among fans. When asked who sheâ€d like to compete against if WWE approached her for a comeback match at an event like WrestleMania, Wilson said a few names came to mind.

“Oh my gosh! Well, first of all, there could be a lot of scenarios that I would get excited about. But I mean, I love Rhea Ripley. So, that will be like a dream. It will never happen. Thatâ€s why I am saying itâ€s a dream,†Wilson explained. “You get older and things hurt a lot more. And the only way I would want to do something like that is by giving it my all. And going and training and making sure it was like, I want to surprise people, right? But I donâ€t know that I have it in me, as far as my body holding up to do that.â€

She emphasized that these were dream matches, noting that they would never happen, but said Rhea Ripley was at the top of her list. Wilson also named Bianca Belair, Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green, but said she could “go on and on†about the WWE womenâ€s roster.

Torrie Wilson says back issues make her question returning to the ring

Torrie Wilson previously told Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling that she doesnâ€t think the door is ever closed on pro wrestling. However, Wilson said she was concerned about lingering back problems being an issue.

“I feel like if youâ€ve ever been in wrestling, the door is never completely closed,†Wilson said. “People ask me a lot like, ‘Do you have another match in you?†And Iâ€m like, ‘Yes, of course.†If something awesome came along, how would I not have that in me?

“It would take a lot more preparing on my end because I wouldnâ€t want to go back and do something like that didnâ€t make people go, ‘Oh, wow. She is an athlete.†I would want to make myself proud. But at the same time, I like golfing, playing tennis, and working out, and my back issues are not going away anytime soon.â€

Read More: WWE Superstar Currently Asking An Outrageous Price On Cameo

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The Las Vegas Aces are two wins away from capturing their third championship after a 91-78win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Finals.

Jackie Young, who was held to 10 points in Game 1, rebounded with a historic performance on Sunday. She dropped 32points, with 21 of them coming in the third quarter on 8-of-11 shooting to help the Aces open up a 76-61 lead.

On top of getting a stellar effort from Young, A’ja Wilson rebounded from her relative down performance in Game 1 with one that reminded everyone why she won her fourth career MVP award this season.

Wilson put up 28 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes. She now has seven career double-doubles in 13 career Finals games. That was one of two double-doubles by a member of the Aces on Sunday. Chelsea Gray dropped 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Aces’ superstar duo of Wilson and Young had nearly matched the scoring output of the entire Mercury team.

Game 1 was a huge missed opportunity for the Mercury because Wilson, Young and Gray had a hard time getting their shots to drop. They combined to go 12-of-36 from the field, but it was offset by Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans putting up a combined 39 points off the bench to help the Aces steal an 89-86 overtime win.

Sunday was much more in line with what has made the Aces virtually unstoppable for the past two months because their star trio is capable of taking over games in ways that no team in the league can match.

Phoenix’s main trio of Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper did all they could to keep this game close. Copper (23 points) and Sabally (22 points) improved their scoring outputs from Game 1. Thomas had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes.

The Mercury really struggled shooting from three-point range, connecting on five of 28 attempts after going 14-of-36 on Friday. They also had no answers on defense for the high-powered Aces group.

Unless things change in a hurry for the Mercury, this series is going to end quickly. The good news is they will get to go back home for the next two games. They are 3-1 at Mortgage Matchup Center this postseason, with three consecutive wins since dropping Game 1 against the New York Liberty in the first round.

Game 3 between the Aces and Mercury will be played on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson posted a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double and Dana Evans (21 points) and Jewell Loyd (18 points) starred off the bench to lead the Las Vegas Aces to an 89-86 home win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday evening.

Phoenix led 76-70 with 8:42 remaining in regulation after a DeWanna Bonner tip-in. However, Las Vegas clawed its way back thanks largely to Evans, who hit three of her five three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Her final three broke an 82-all tie to give the Aces the 85-82 edge with 3:40 remaining.

Wilson hit a two-pointer on Las Vegas’ next possession for the five-point lead.

However, Las Vegas went cold from there, missing four shots over its next three possessions. Phoenix took advantage, with Alyssa Thomas hitting a pair of buckets to cut the lead to 87-86.

Thomas then went to work on the other end, blocking a Wilson layup and grabbing the loose board. She drove in for a layup, but Jackie Young committed a shooting foul, sending Thomas to the line for two.

Thomas, who has been sensational all year and was once again Friday, missed both free throws. The Aces grabbed the rebound, and Young soon calmly knocked down both free throws after getting fouled with 13.5 seconds left.

Phoenix called a timeout down 89-86, but its last possession did not go well. The Mercury seemingly wanted to get an open look from three for the tie, but the Aces played great perimeter defense. Satou Sabally eventually put up a contested three that was off the mark, and the Aces took the 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 will take place on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.

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Nearly two months to the day after a 53-point loss dropped their record to 14-14, the Las Vegas Aces clinched a berth in the WNBA Finals with a victory over the Indiana Fever in Game 5 of the playoff semifinals on Tuesday.

Following the 107-98 overtime victory against the Fever, A’Ja Wilson told reporters that the Aces “went through the mud” this season to reach this point.

“Obviously, we’re not complacent. It’s not an, ‘Oh, we’re happy to be here,’ because we worked our butts off to get here, but it does definitely feel a lot different than the ones before only because we went through the mud for this. Like Coach always says, we weren’t necessarily buried, we were planted. We sometimes had to let the soil get moisture and then we had to grow. Now we’re still growing.”

After being one of the most dominant teams in the league for five years from 2020 to ’24, winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, the Aces spent the first two months of this season trying to figure things out.

The low point came on Aug. 2 when the Aces suffered a 111-58 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.

“We started the oven for them,” head coach Becky Hammon said after that game. “They were on a heater, and we lit the gas up by being out of position. … We did everything at a Grade F today.”

That game proved to be a positive turning point. The Aces won 16 straight games to close the regular season and earn the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They have been pushed so far in the playoffs, going the distance in each of the first two rounds before surviving at home in the deciding game.

Tuesday’s win was led by Wilson, who won her fourth career MVP award this season, and Jackie Young. The All-Star duo combined for 67 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds. Both of them played more than 40 minutes in Game 5.

The celebration will be short-lived because the Aces will get set to host the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday. Las Vegas won three of four head-to-head meetings between the two teams during the regular season.

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Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart will make his first-ever NFL start on Sunday when his New York Giants host the Los Angeles Chargers, and that reportedly has his teammates “fired up.”

Dianna Russini of The Athletic provided a breakdown behind the scenes after the Giants named Dart the starter over veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, who will now be the team’s backup.

“For Dart, the conversation went a step further. After FaceTiming his parents to share the news, he and Daboll sat down for a long film session Tuesday afternoon, breaking down Josh Allen’s highlights from Buffalo — Daboll once tutored Allen there — alongside some of Dart’s best plays from Ole Miss. The good news for the rookie is that the offense he ran in college has plenty of overlap with what Daboll runs now. They spent hours talking through it before hitting the field on Wednesday. ‘Dart’s a sponge,’ a Giants source said.

“And inside the Giants locker room, I’m told, they’re fired up. Several players on both sides of the ball, including team captains, reached out right away with calls and FaceTimes to let Dart know they’re behind him.”

‘”‘He has moxie. He has a legit chance of being great,’ another Giants person texted.”

It’s been a rough start for the 0-3 Giants, who began the year with a 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders. The offense lit up the scoreboard in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, with Wilson throwing for 450 yards and three touchdowns. However, the defense didn’t perform well in a 40-37 overtime loss.

The offense reverted to its Week 1 form last Sunday in a 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. And with that, the Giants turned to Dart, the No. 25 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Dart was exceptional in the preseason, completing 32-of-47 passes for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also showed off his wheels with 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on six carries.

That versatility should help spark some life into a Giants offense that didn’t show any in Weeks 1 and 3.

The 22-year-old was great against tough competition at Ole Miss, too. Last year, Dart completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions while rushing for 495 yards and three more scores.

Ultimately, Dart is being thrown into the fire. For starters, he’s being asked to rejuvenate a moribund franchise that’s lost 14 of its last 15 games. Secondly, he’s playing a stout 3-0 Chargers team that’s allowed the third-fewest points per game.

We’ll see how he meets the challenge soon enough at home. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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Russell Wilson could be leaving $10.5 million in incentive money on the table if he does not play another game for the New York Giants this season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Tuesday that the Giants are planning to bench Wilson in favor of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart ahead of Week 4.

Wilson originally signed with the Giants on a one-year, $10.5 million deal worth up to $21 million with incentives.

Spotrac provides a breakdown of those $10.5 million in incentives, none of which Wilson qualified for during the Giants’ 0-3 start to the season.

For one, Wilson was slated to receive $176,471 for each regular-season win in which he played at least 50 percent of the Giants’ snaps, per Spotrac. A 17-0 season could have netted him $3 million.

The remaining bonuses have to do with Wilson’s full-season stats, including $2.5 million in playing time incentives which will become harder to reach with each game the veteran quarterback sits out.

Wilson was set to pick up $500,000 if he plays in at least 65 percent of the team’s snaps this season.

That incentive increases to $1 million at 75 percent of the Giants’ snaps, $1.5 million at 85 percent and $2.5 million if Wilson passes the 95 percent threshold, per Spotrac.

The quarterback was also offered up to $2.5 million in performance incentives. Those include $500,000 for a passer rating of at least 96 percent and $500,000 for a completion rate of at least 64 percent, per Spotrac.

If he finishes the season with a passer rating of at least 88, Wilson could also can pick up $750,000 for 30 touchdown passes and another $750,000 for 3,500 passing yards, Spotrac reports.

Wilson has so far fallen short of those thresholds, completing 59.1 percent of his passes and receiving a 78.5 passer rating through three games.

With his team now in an 0-3 hole to start the season, Wilson might not have gotten the chance to earn any of his playoff incentives even if the Giants hadn’t reportedly decided to bench him.

Those postseason incentives max out at $2.5 million if Wilson plays in 75 percent of the Giants’ snaps and leads the team to two playoff wins.

The most achievable incentive threshold for Wilson to reach would potentially be the 64 percent pass completion rate, although he also fell just short of that standard during his last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It remains to be seen if Wilson will be able to continue working toward earning some of the incentives remaining on his contract. The likelihood he gets another shot with the Giants could hinge on how Dart handles his first NFL start when Week 4 kicks off Sunday against the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers.

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After three weeks with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson under center, the New York Giants may be considering a change.

New York coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Monday that the team is “evaluating everything”:

This comes one day after Wilson struggled in a 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, completing 18 of 32 passes for 160 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

After Wilson’s second interception of the game, fans started to chant for Dart:

The Giants initially planned to take their time with Dart’s development and named him the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart behind Wilson and ahead of fellow veteran Jameis Winston. However, the team’s struggles amid its 0-3 record only made the calls for Dart to replace Wilson grow louder.

Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with New York this past offseason after spending the 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has 778 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions through the first three weeks this season. The 10-time Pro Bowler appears to be nearing the end of his career, and there will be questions about his NFL future if he winds up getting benched.

By most accounts, the Giants feel they have something special in the 22-year-old Dart. The first-year signal-caller had a strong preseason, completing 32 of his 47 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions while also adding a rushing touchdown.

Daboll has until Sunday to decide who will start in Week 4, when the Giants host the Los Angeles Chargers at 1 p.m. ET.

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The Kansas City Chiefs played the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, but neither team offered a particularly primetime experience.

The Chiefs survived an offensive slog, winning 22-9 behind Patrick Mahomes’ 224 passing yards and a touchdown.

Those numbers may not jump off the page, but they were downright brilliant compared to Russell Wilson’s moonball-or-bust approach in the loss, as the veteran quarterback threw for just 160 yards, two interceptions and took two sacks.

The most exciting player on the night may have been New York’s rookie running back, Cam Skattebo, who had 10 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown and added six catches for 61 yards. He was basically the team’s entire offense, as the Chiefs largely took star receiver Malik Nabers (two catches for 13 yards on seven targets) out of the game.

So in the end, the Chiefs came away with the win, but it was a rather laborious watch. NFL fans were particularly unimpressed with Wilson, with Giants fans calling for rookie Jaxson Dart mid-game:

The Giants have featured Dart on a few plays here and there during the season but have stuck with Wilson as the starter thus far. That didn’t look like the worst decision in a thrilling overtime loss a week ago against a terrible Dallas Cowboys defense, but he looked pretty rough against the Chiefs.

Everybody knows that Wilson is essentially keeping the seat warm for Dart as the Giants choose to bring him along slowly. At some point, however, keeping Wilson on the field will be hard to justify if he strings together more poor performances.

New York fans, certainly, have seen enough.

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