Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon completely lost her cool during her post-game interview on Thursday as she complained about A’ja Wilson shooting fewer free throws than Awak Kuier. While losing the contest 95-87 despite a 13-point first-half lead, Hammon didn’t leave her press conference without mentioning the free-throw disparity.
Wilson took only one trip to the free-throw line, while Kuier had four. The Aces collectively finished with 12 attempts at the line, 10 fewer than the Wings. Hammon didn’t discredit the Wings’ 22 free throws, but said the whistle wasn’t fair, while admitting she was ready to accept a fine for her explosive rant.
“A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw, Chennedy Carter shoots zero, Jackie Young zero, I’m f****** tired of that b*******,” Hammon said. “I’m not saying they (Wings) didn’t earn their 22 (free throws) down there, but when an Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young and Chennedy Carter, all combined, that’s a problem. And we’re not getting the same whistle. Give me my fine.”
Awak Kuier has been in the league since 2021, but she’s a sporadically used role player. She’s also coming off a three-year hiatus in the WNBA. The whistle for her compared to players like A’ja Wilson, Chennedy Carter and Jackie Young is naturally different, but it wasn’t the case on Thursday.
On the season, Becky Hammon’s Aces rank 14th in free throw attempts at 18.3. Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson is eighth among all players, attempting 6.3 per game. It’s nearly close to her career-low of 6.0 free throw attempts from the 2021 season. For her career, Wilson averaged 6.7 free throws per game.
Awak Kueir was phenomenal defending A’ja Wilson in the second half
Awak Kuier probably had the best moment of her career on Thursday in the second half. She had the opportunity to go against A’ja Wilson and she was incredible on both ends, particularly on defense. Kuier was one of the major contributors in limiting Wilson to 6-for-7 shooting in the last two quarters.
On the other end, Kuier buried two shots from deep and was 3 of 4 overall. She finished with eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. Kuier was as decisive as anyone else in that stretch to help the Wings complete their comeback.
Calls started to mount for Kueir to seal her place in the starting lineup after that effort, which has been the case for most of the season. The 6-foot-6 center gives the Wings a dynamic interior defensive presence and most teams don’t have that luxury.
Read more: