Las Vegas Aces ahead A’ja Wilson joked that her faculty lecturer Break of day Staley at all times needled her about protection, although she received awards for it week starring at South Carolina. However Wilson has made that teasing a quantity tougher to do.

Wilson was once named the WNBA Defensive Participant of the While for the second one season in a row Friday. She is the 8th participant in league historical past to win the award greater than as soon as. Wilson is a sturdy candidate for the league’s MVP honor, which she received in 2020 and 2022.

“Now she’s more like, ‘All right, you got it.’ And I’m like, ‘Thank you, Coach Staley,'” stated Wilson, the Incorrect. 1 draft pick out in 2018. “I always appreciate her. She helped me. She motives me to this day.

“Successful [a defensive award] in faculty, I used to be like, ‘OK, cool.’ However profitable at this degree feels other, as a result of those are execs, world-class elite ladies. I’m excited to proportion it with my teammates.”

Wilson gave credit to Kiah Stokes, saying the Aces center deserves to have her name etched onto the award as well.

She received 32 votes from a national media panel of 60. As was the case last year, Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was second with 24 votes. Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes was third with three votes, and New York Liberty guard/forward Betnijah Laney got one vote.

Wilson led the WNBA this season with a career-high 2.23 blocks per game. She ranked third in defensive rebounds per game (7.5) and was 10th in steals per game (1.4). She had at least 10 defensive rebounds in a game nine times and also had at least four blocks nine times. The Aces led the WNBA in defensive rating at 99.2.

Wilson said she thinks another sport she played when she was younger, volleyball, helped aspects of her defensive play in basketball.

“It taught me find out how to quick-jump and the coordination of protecting your visible at the ball always,” Wilson said.

The Aces start their WNBA semifinal series against the Dallas Wings on Sunday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

The 6-foot-4 Wilson’s defense is notable for how well she plays in the paint, but she also can step outside as both a primary and help-side defender when needed. In the Aces’ four regular-season games against the Wings, Wilson contested shots against seven different Dallas players — from centers to point guards — and they shot 33% on those plays.

“It simply takes a quantity of satisfaction, figuring out the place I’m and figuring out the staff,” Wilson said about her defense. “I love to whip that problem of ‘Can I safe a 5? Can I safe a 1?’ I struggle to move available in the market and end up it each generation.

“I’m not trying to be the world’s best [shot-blocker], but if I can contain to help my guards or force a missed shot, I’m happy with that. People always say defense starts with the heart. I try to have as much heart as I can.”

ESPN Stats & Data contributed to this document.