1k points and A’ja Wilson’s not going to rest. The 2x MVP’s bag for the third title keeps getting bigger as she makes WNBA history. Immediately after becoming the first player to make a 1000 points in a single season, she told the media that she’s not stopping till she’s got everything out of the game. The Aces superstar is drawing inspiration from Kobe Bryant for it. When a 1k-point season seemed like a reachable fantasy, Wilson revealed how embodying the Black Mamba made her unstoppable. But she’s not doing this alone. Wilson is putting the same expectation on her teammates.

After the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun 84-71, A’ja Wilson spoke about her record-breaking night in the post-game presser. A reporter asked her if there’s someone she looked up to as an inspiration. One name came out in a heartbeat. “Kobe.” 

She admitted she hasn’t spoken to many people who could have that influence on her. But just watching Bryant was plenty. “I could look at his highlights all day, that’s beautiful basketball. But listening to his words and how he approached the game and his teammates is something that I continue to try to work on.”

Wilson ended the night with 29 points one game after she beat Jewel Lloyd’s 2023 record. She outdid herself with her fadeaway jumpshot during the last two minutes of the game. She’s not going to be laid back after this because that’s not the Kobe approach.

“When you’re thinking about what else can you do, what can you do, how can you be greedy, that’s what it is. It’s an understanding when and how to be greedy in ways that I know I’m not perfect, I know I have a lot of things that I have to work on, so I really try to pinpoint little things of how I can be great at these little things.”

Exactly as Bryant would preach, the 28-year-old is doing everything to not stop at two championships, Finals MVP, and league MVP. “Everyone can come in and say, ‘Oh, I want to win a championship.’ But what are the little things you’re going to do to get to that point? That’s what I want to be great in.” There’s another way the late Bryant is helping her with that.

A’ja Wilson makes Mamba Mentality an artform

Everytime A’ja Wilson looks at her phone, she gets the reminder that there’s no time to rest. A couple of weeks ago, the Olympian said she’s not satisfied with her stacked career so far. She’s got so much more she wants to do as she said, “It’s actually my phone’s screensaver. Kobe said, ‘Rest at the end, not in the middle.‘” That’s her drive for success and she’s taking on this season with that motivation.

The Nike star’s admiration for the 5x NBA champion will reflect in her upcoming sneaker design and how she caries herself. Speaking of how she works on herself both on and off court, Wilson once again said tonight, “My screensaver is, ‘Rest at the end, not in the middle,’ and that’s something I tell myself every single day.”

In the offseason, Wilson gets herself into the headspace for the upcoming season. Once she’s in the zone, “I got work to do, that that’s going to be my mindset until I’m done playing, until I’ve squeezed everything out of this game.“