CNN
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Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark both broke WNBA records Sunday, with Wilson becoming the first player to score 1,000 points in a single season and Clark breaking the rookie record.

Wilson set the season scoring record for most goals with just under two minutes left in the game against the Connecticut Sun after making a mid-range jumper.

The crowd at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas gave the two-time MVP a thunderous applause as they held up signs with the number 1,000 and the words “THE GOAT” on them. The Aces went on to win 84-71.

Meanwhile, Clark improved the WNBA rookie scoring record to 761 points in her team’s 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings, finishing with a personal-best 35 points.

The 22-year-old broke the rookie record of 744 points held by Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus, who was selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2006 WNBA draft.

The performance adds to the 2024 No. 1 pick’s historic season, which includes the WNBA record for assists in a season, the single-game assists record with 19 against the Dallas Wings in July and the rookie assists record last month. Clark also became the first rookie to record a triple-double and has the most 3-pointers made by a rookie in league history.

Wilson’s Aces teammates all celebrated and hugged the 28-year-old player after she was pulled from the game after breaking the single-season points record.

“My teammates were just like, ‘OK, come on,'” Wilson said. “If someone’s going to tell me something, my teammates make sure I know exactly what’s going on. It was fun. I’m glad I finally got it.”

Wilson thanked fans for their support, adding that she is “grateful” to be part of a franchise like the Aces and its fan base.

“It’s unbelievable,” Wilson said. “It hit me when I literally saw everybody stand up when I got the basketball. I was like, ‘Wow, wow … wait, what? This is pressure.’ You gotta love fans like that. Fans that truly love the game are the best.”

Wilson said she was “surprised” that no one in the history of the competition had reached the 1,000-point mark in a season.

“There are some buckets in this league,” Wilson said. “It was pretty surreal, but it was one of those things that I didn’t understand was within reach. It didn’t really hit me until the second half, when I was like, ‘Oh no, this is achievable.’ … Like now to live in it, I’m living my dream and so I’m so thankful that I can say that I’m here right now, I know that someone is going to crush it soon and get 2,000 points in a season, so I’m going to hold on to it now while I have it.”

Last week, Wilson set the league record for most points scored in a WNBA season, breaking the existing record of 939, set last year by Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm.

Clark called breaking Augustus’ record a full-circle moment and recalled it as one of her earliest WNBA memories.

“When I went to my first WNBA game, Seimone was, I think, the first player I ever met when I was standing on the sidelines watching them warm up,” Clark said.

“… It’s come full circle, that’s for sure. I remember taking a picture of her on my dad’s little phone,” she said. “I was always a fan of her game and the way she could shoot the ball and score. Like I said, it’s come full circle.”

Clark and the Fever now sit at 20-19 and have secured their first playoff spot since 2016.

Indiana has one game left in the regular season: on Thursday they play the Washington Mystics.

The Aces improved their lead to 25-13 after Sunday’s game and have two games remaining in the regular season.

Wilson can add to her historic points total this year by playing her next game on Tuesday against the Storm in Seattle.