WNBA star A’ja Wilson knows the league isn’t the same place thanks to stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Wilson appeared on First Take on Thursday, speaking with host Molly Qerim, who compared Clark’s Las Vegas Aces team to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Just as the Chiefs will seek three historic Super Bowl triumphs, the Aces will aim for a third straight WNBA title.
“Obviously, a lot of eyes are on the W this year, especially this year with this rookie class,” Qerim said.
‘But I want to focus on what the Aces are after and that’s the triple peat.
“You guys, along with Patrick Mahomes and those Chiefs. We know how important this would be.
“What’s the biggest key to getting your third championship?”
Wilson’s response centered on maintaining his team’s focus despite the noise around them.
“Keep the main thing the main thing and understand that the season will not be the same,” she said.
“I feel like everyone feels like we have to look the same.
“Our lineup is very similar to last year’s, but it’s completely different.
“Our league has obviously improved a lot. All eyes are on us right now.
“So you have to be at your best every possession and that’s difficult, it’s difficult to maintain.
“We have enough in our locker room to keep the main one as the main one and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
The Aces beat the Connecticut Sun to win the 2022 title.
And last year, the Aces pulled off a brilliant double by defeating the New York Liberty 3-1.
Wilson was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Finals.
How the WNBA works
The 2024 WNBA season features 12 teams, with the regular season running from May 14 to September 9.
Each team plays 40 regular season games – four against five teams from the same conference and two teams from the other conference, and three games against the remaining four teams.
The top eight teams in the league standings qualify for the playoffs – regardless of which conference they are in.
The playoffs will use a best-of-three format in the first round, while the WNBA semifinals and finals will be best-of-five.
This season also includes a month-long break for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Las Vegas Aces are defending back-to-back WNBA champions.
The WNBA is currently seeing large crowds and record television viewership numbers dominate the league.
That’s largely due to the exploits of rookies Clark, who plays for the Indiana Fire, and Chicago Sky star Reese.
The hype generated by her performances during March Madness has carried over to this WNBA season.
Qerim was back on First Take after being away for two weeks.
She is on summer vacation, and the show will not air for the first three days of this week due to ESPN’s coverage of Wimbledon.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
