Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points in a season during the Aces’ 84-71 win over Connecticut on Sunday.

Wilson scored 1,000 from the penalty spot on a fadeaway jump shot with 1 minute, 57 seconds left in the game. Her teammates and the crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena celebrated with Wilson, who is the overwhelming favorite to win the 2024 WNBA MVP award.

“I really try to point out the little things,” Wilson said of how she continues to improve after winning two previous MVP awards and two WNBA titles. “Anyone 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 good at.

“I really have to take credit for my offseason work and my preparation. I take time to get away from basketball, to miss it. So when I’m in it, I don’t take it for granted. My screensaver is, ‘Rest at the end, not in the middle,’ and I tell myself that every day.

“I still have to work. That’s going to be my mindset until I’m done playing, until I’ve gotten everything out of this game.”

Wilson, who turned 28 last month, is averaging a league-leading 27.0 points to go along with 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 assists while connecting on 51.9 percent of her shots. Her season average is the highest in WNBA history, a record she achieved despite not scoring in the Aces’ last two games.

The No. 1 draft pick out of South Carolina, Wilson joined the Aces in 2018, the same year the franchise moved from San Antonio to Las Vegas. Aces coach Becky Hammon, who played eight seasons of her career in San Antonio, said how fortunate it was for the team to have an incoming star like Wilson in a new city.

“It’s not easy being A’ja Wilson every day. It’s just not. There’s a lot of expectations,” Hammon said. “The city is fortunate to have watched her grow up. You see her evolve into not only an incredible player, but someone who gives back to her community, who cares about the people she plays with and who she’s around.”

Wilson’s current streak of double-digit scoring games is now 50, the longest in the league. She also had a streak of 53 double-digit scoring games from August 2019 to August 2021.

The Aces are now 25-13 and in fourth place in the WNBA standings with two games remaining in the regular season. Las Vegas plays Seattle — which is 24-14 and in fifth place — on Tuesday and Dallas at home on Thursday.

“It’s an honor to play with her,” said Aces teammate Jackie Young, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, the year after Wilson. “She comes in every day and shows us what a professional is.”