A'ja Riyadh Wilson (born August 8, 1996) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team play ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). Wilson played for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

in college, and helped lead the Gamecocks to their first

NCAA Women's Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic ...

in 2017, and won the

NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships (the "Final Four" tournaments), a media panel selects a Most Outstanding Player (MOP). It is usually awarded to a member of the championship team. There have been ...

award. In 2018, she won a record 3rd straight

SEC Player of the Year Southeastern Conference Player of the Year refers to the most outstanding player for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in a given sport for a given season. For lists of individual sport SEC Players of the Year by year: *Southeastern Conference Bas ...

award, leading South Carolina to a record 4th straight SEC Tournament Championship, becoming the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina women's basketball history, and was a consensus first-team All-American for the 3rd consecutive season. Wilson swept all National Player of the Year awards (

Wade Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to: Places in the United States * Wade, California, a former settlement * Wade, Maine, a town * Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place * Wade, North Carolina, a town * Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated communi ...

, AP,

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...

Wooden Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...

, and Naismith) as the best player in Women's College basketball for 2018. In the

2018 WNBA draft The 2018 WNBA draft was the WNBA, league's draft for the 2018 WNBA season. On March 12, the league announced the draft would be held on April 12 at Nike, Inc., Nike New York City, New York Headquarters, a recently opened secondary headquarters for ...

, she was drafted first overall by the Aces. Wilson won her first

WNBA MVP The Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season -- 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular s ...

in 2020, as well as her first Olympic Gold medal in the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

. In 2022, Wilson helped lead the Aces to their first title in franchise history.

Personal life

Wilson was born to Roscoe Jr. and Eva Wilson. She said on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' that she was named for her father's favorite song, " Aja" by

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

. Her middle name Riyadh came from the Saudi Arabian capital where Aja's maternal aunt was deployed in

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. Her mother had a court stenographer business while her father played basketball professionally in Europe for 10 seasons. Her older brother Roscoe also played professional basketball overseas. Wilson spent her grade school and high school years as one of the few black students in

Heathwood Hall Episcopal School Heathwood Hall Episcopal School is an independent coeducational college preparatory school in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1951, Heathwood offers classes for students in pre-kindergarten/nursery school through grade 12. For the 2006-2007 ...

, a southern Columbia private school. Wilson is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. She grew up in a Christian family and her grandfather was a minister. After graduating from high school in 2014, she attended the University of South Carolina, majoring in

Mass Communications Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

. She represented the

Gamecocks A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

as a forward in

. She completed her Senior year at South Carolina. Wilson is a member of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

sorority. In 2019, Wilson played for the "Home" roster during the

NBA All-Star Celebrity Game The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game is an annual exhibition basketball game held by the National Basketball Association that takes place during the NBA All-Star Weekend and features retired NBA players, WNBA players, actors, musicians and athletes ...

at the

Bojangles Coliseum Bojangles Coliseum (originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena) is an 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which als ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The roster was made up of celebrities with Carolina roots. Wilson started Burnt Wax Candle Company and established the A'ja Wilson Foundation that advocates for preventing bullying and education around dyslexia. She is part of the WNBA's social justice council and hosts a podcast with Minnesota Lynx forward

Napheesa Collier Napheesa Collier (born September 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). After playing college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies, Co ...

. Wilson counts Nike and Mountain Dew as sponsors and was named to Forbes' 2021 30 Under 30 list.

High school

Wilson played a total of 119 games after making the varsity as an eighth-grader. She averaged 24.7 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks a game throughout her high school career. She was number 22 and played as a forward. After finishing as a runner-up in her junior year, Wilson led Heathwood Hall to the 2014 state championship as a senior. Her 35 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks per game as a senior made her the National High School player of the year in 2014, was a Parade and McDonald's All-American, and was the #1 rated

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

HoopGurlz prospect in 2014. Wilson committed to play for

Dawn Staley Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach, who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head co ...

at the University of South Carolina.

College career

Wilson played in 37 games her freshman year, leading to four single-game freshman records in the SEC and three single-season freshman records in the SEC, and won the SEC Freshman of the year award. In 2016 as a sophomore, Wilson would win her first SEC Player of the year award and was a consensus All-American, Wilson led the Gamecocks to a SEC regular season and Tournament Championship. In 2017, Wilson once again led the Gamecocks to a SEC regular season and Tournament championship, and went on to win the school's first National Championship with a stirring victory over the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

in the championship game. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. In 2018, Wilson had her best season statistically, and won all of the National player of the year awards. She won a record 3rd straight SEC Player of the Year award, and was also a Consensus All-American for the third straight year. Wilson finished her college career at South Carolina as the all-time leading scorer for the school. On January 18, 2021, as part of the university's observance of

Martin Luther King Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monda ...

, a statue of Wilson was dedicated near the main entrance to Carolina's basketball home of

Colonial Life Arena The Colonial Life Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Columbia, South Carolina, primarily home to the University of South Carolina men's and women's basketball teams. Opened as a replacement for the Carolina Coliseum with the name Carolina Center ...

. In a

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...

call during the ceremony, Wilson noted:

Professional career

WNBA

In 2018, Wilson was drafted first overall by the

. On May 20, 2018, in her career debut, Wilson scored 14 points along with 10 rebounds in a 101–65 loss to the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

. On June 12, 2018, Wilson scored a career-high of 35 points along with 13 rebounds in a 101–92 overtime victory against the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

, becoming the second rookie in league history to score 35 points and grab 10 rebounds. Wilson would be voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. Later on in the season, Wilson would be named the WNBA Rookie of the Year. She was tied for third in scoring. Her season performance almost led the Aces to the playoffs as they finished 9th place with a 14–20 record. On June 29, 2019, Wilson scored a new career-high 39 points in a 102–97 overtime victory against the

. In July, Wilson suffered an ankle injury that kept her out for 4 weeks, causing her to miss the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game. She made her return in mid-August. By the end of the season, the Aces finished with a 21–13 record and the number 4 seed, receiving a bye to the second round, helping the franchise get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. In the second round elimination game, the Aces defeated the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2 ...

93–92 in a thriller game, where teammate

Dearica Hamby Dearica Marie Hamby (born November 6, 1993) is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). College During her senior year Hamby averaged 20.3 points, the highest scoring average ...

came up with a steal and nailed the game-winning three from half-court with 4-second left. However, in the semi-finals, the Aces would lose in four games to the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...

, who would go on to win the 2019 WNBA championship. In the 2020 season, the Aces were championship contenders. The season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. With her all-star teammate Liz Cambage sitting out the season due to health concerns, Wilson carried the team by putting up peak numbers, the Aces finishing the season 18-4 and the number 1 seed, receiving a double bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Aces would defeat the

in a hard-fought five-game series, advancing to the Finals for the second time in franchise history (first since relocating to Las Vegas); however with a shorthanded roster against a fully loaded

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

team, the Aces would be defeated in a three-game sweep. Wilson would end up winning the MVP award for the 2020 season. In 2022, Wilson would win her second MVP and first Defensive Player of the Year award, averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while leading the league with 17 double-doubles. Wilson helped propel the Aces to their second finals appearance in three seasons, where they would defeat the Connecticut Sun in four games, giving Wilson her first championship.

Overseas

In August 2018, Wilson signed with the

Shaanxi Red Wolves The Shaanxi Tianze Red Wolves are a Chinese professional women's basketball club based in Weinan, Shaanxi, playing in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). The team is owned by the Tianze Group. Season-by-season records Current pla ...

of the

Women's Chinese Basketball Association The Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) is the first-tier professional women's basketball league in China. It was established in 2002 as the women's counterpart to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Current clubs There are cu ...

for the 2018–19 off-season.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

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Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

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, 22 , , 22 , , 31.7 , , .480 , , .000 , , .781 , , 8.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 2.0° , , 1.6 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 32 , , 32 , , 31.9 , , .444 , , 1.000 , , .876 , , 9.3 , , 3.1 , , 0.9 , , 1.3 , , 1.4 , , 18.3 , - , style='text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;',

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, 36 , , 36 , , 30.0 , , .501 , , .373 , , .813 , , 9.4 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 1.9° , , 1.7 , , 19.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 5 years, 1 team , 149 , , 148 , , 30.5 , , .473 , , .376 , , .807 , , 8.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.7 , , 1.6 , , 19.1

Playoffs

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, 8 , , 8 , , 35.4 , , .473 , , .000 , , .857 , , 8.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , 2.3 , , 2.0 , , 20.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 5 , , 5 , , 32.2 , , .435 , , .000 , , .654 , , 9.2 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.2 , , 14.2 , - , style='text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;' ,

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, 10 , , 10 , , 37.2 , , .552 , , .143 , , .791 , , 10.4 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 4 years, 1 team , 28 , , 28 , , 35.1 , , .490 , , .143 , , .809 , , 9.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.9 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , 18.1

College

Source: College statistics courtesy of NCAA Statistics

Awards and honors

WNBA

*WNBA Champion (2022) *4× WNBA All-Star (2018–2020, 2022) *

WNBA Rookie of the Year The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel ...

(2018) *

WNBA Most Valuable Player The Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's 1997 WNBA season, inaugural season -- 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately follow ...

(2020, 2022) * WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2022)

College

* NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

) *

Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coac ...

(2018) *

John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

(2018) *

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in th ...

(2018) *

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. History an ...

(2018) * AP Player of the Year (2018) * USBWA Player of the Year (2018) * Lisa Leslie Award (2018) *3× Consensus first-team All-American (2016–2018) *3×

(2016–2018) *2x SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2016, 2018) *4× First-team All- SEC (2015–2018) *SEC Freshman of the Year (2015) *SEC All-Freshman Team (2015)

High school

*National High School Player of the Year (WBCA, Naismith, Parade) (2014) *McDonald's All-America (2013–14) *Parade All-America (2013–14) *Gatorade South Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2013–2014)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, A'ja 1996 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players from South Carolina Las Vegas Aces draft picks Las Vegas Aces players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) People from Hopkins, South Carolina Power forwards (basketball) South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball players Women's National Basketball Association first-overall draft picks 21st-century American women United States women's national basketball team players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars