Aces Edge Dream in Thriller as MVP Chants for A’ja Wilson Spark Debate
Wednesday night’s matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and the Atlanta Dream delivered everything fans could want: high stakes, MVP-caliber performances, and playoff implications on the line.
For much of the first three quarters, Atlanta held control, but the Aces flipped the script with a 13-0 run to close the third. The Dream fought back late, highlighted by a clutch three-pointer from Te-Hina Paopao with just over a minute remaining, but it wasn’t enough.
With 8.9 seconds left, A’ja Wilson sealed the game at the free-throw line, sinking both shots to chants of “MVP” echoing through the arena. The twist? Those chants came in Atlanta, not Las Vegas.
Dream guard Rhyne Howard was less than thrilled with the atmosphere.
“We rely on our fans, and when they pick and choose who they want to cheer for and come in and make it feel like an away game for us and a home game for the other team, it’s easy to go on a run like that,” Howard said. “Especially with the playoffs coming up. You want to see Gamecocks, we have Gamecocks on our roster. The last game, we had MVP chants for one of our players. Don’t get here and switch up because of one player.”
Howard, who played her college basketball at Kentucky, has no direct rivalry history with Wilson, Paopao, or Allisha Gray. In fact, Howard and Gray are close friends, and she made it clear she wasn’t taking aim at South Carolina fans specifically—she even noted her appreciation when “MVP” chants rang out for Gray in previous games.
Still, her comments were quickly spun online as criticism of Gamecock Nation. Wilson, meanwhile, has experienced this before; she also drew MVP chants on the road in Washington earlier this season.
The dynamic is unique in Atlanta, where many South Carolina fans own season tickets to the Dream. With two former Gamecocks—Gray and Paopao—on Atlanta’s roster, and Wilson always drawing support when she visits, the games often feel like family reunions. It’s no coincidence Wilson set her WNBA scoring record (53 points) in Atlanta.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is also a Dream season ticket holder. While she wasn’t in attendance Wednesday, her assistants Wendale Farrow and Khadijah Sessions (a former teammate of Wilson and Gray) were in the building, cheering loudly. The broadcast even caught them high-fiving Wilson after she buried a three-pointer.
Atlanta will get two more matchups this season against another former Gamecock, Sania Feagin, when they face the Los Angeles Sparks.
