Women's basketball is thriving.
From aging stars like Diana Taurasi to rookie phenoms like Caitlin Clark, there's no shortage of talent across the sport. But one woman has separated herself from the pack in recent years: A'ja Wilson.
The Las Vegas Aces forward has been on a dominant run since entering the WNBA, and there's no end in sight as she heads to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
Here are five things to know about the Team USA women's basketball star:
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Wilson has a ridiculous amount of WNBA accolades
How does this sound for the first six seasons of a WNBA career? Two championships, two MVPs, two Defensive Player of the Years, five All-Stars and three First-Team All-WNBAs. That's what Wilson has accomplished since being drafted first overall by the Aces in 2018.
After winning Rookie of the Year, Wilson has continued to improve. Las Vegas is the two-time defending WNBA champions, with Wilson taking home Finals MVP in 2023 after averaging 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in nine playoff games. Through the first 23 games of this season, she's averaged 27.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per game -- all career-highs.
Wilson is a veteran performer for Team USA
This summer won't be unfamiliar territory for Wilson. She has plenty of experience with Team USA, including being named USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 2015 and 2022.
The South Carolina native has won gold medals for her country at the 2020 Olympics, 2018 World Cup and 2022 World Cup. Team USA didn't lose any of its 20 games over those three tournaments with Wilson helping to lead the charge. In Tokyo last time around, she averaged a team-high 20.0 points and 2.8 blocks per game while being named to the All-Star Five.
Additionally, Wilson won gold medals for Team USA at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and 2013 FIBA U19 World Cup. She enters Paris with a 60-2 record in her career for the U.S.
Wilson comes from a family of basketball players
Basketball is a family game for the Wilsons. Aside from A'ja, there have been multiple professional players to come from the family.
Roscoe Wilson Jr., Aja's father, played professionally in Europe for 10 seasons before coaching at Morris College and Benedict College. Renaldo Wilson, A'ja's older brother, played basketball for Benedict College, which is also their father's alma mater.
Wilson has a number of endorsement deals
As one of the faces of the WNBA, Wilson has racked up a handful of endorsement deals.
She is a Nike brand athlete, with the sneaker and clothing giant debuting the Cosmic Unity 3 "A'ja Wilson" shoe in 2023. Additionally, Wilson was the first female athlete to sign an endorsement deal with snack brand Ruffles. She had previous signed with Mountain Dew, as well. With all these deals, Wilson was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports in 2021.
Wilson is a best-selling author
Wilson added another line to her resume in 2024 by becoming a New York Times best-selling author.
"Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You" was released by Wilson on Feb. 6, 2024. The book shares stories of Wilson's upbringing in South Carolina and the difficulties she faced as a Black girl. Reviewers praised the book for its "phenomenal stories," "empowering insight" and "inspiring lessons."
