Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James has been impressed by the WNBA’s rising popularity and revealed his reverence for Las Vegas Aces star and league MVP A’ja Wilson.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar told Rachel Bachman of The Wall Street Journal that Wilson is “the head honcho of the league” and mentioned that the association’s growing audience is “long overdue.”
“I could go on and on and on, of how many great players are in the WNBA,” James said. “There’s some great storylines, things of that nature, some great players. So I think that’s the reason that the league is getting a lot of attention.”
Wilson won the third MVP award of her career in 2024, helping the Aces make their sixth consecutive playoff appearance.
She set a new WNBA single-season scoring record, averaging 26.9 points per game and finishing the year with a total of 1,021 points. Wilson also recorded a career-high 11.9 rebounds to go along with 2.6 blocks per game, shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
James hasn’t been shy about complimenting her, calling out her accomplishments on the court throughout her 2024 campaign.
LeBron James @KingJames
STRAIGHT 🪣’s!!! CONGRATULATIONS SIS! Love to see it!!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🫡🤎 https://t.co/iqKILkH2yv
LeBron James @KingJames
Lil sis going crazy right now!!!! @_ajawilson22 😤😤💪🏾
LeBron James @KingJames
GAME BLOUSES!!!!! @_ajawilson22 😤💪🏾🫡
The respect between the two stars is mutual, as Wilson recently praised James for his performances on the United States men’s national team leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A’ja Wilson @_ajawilson22
Couldn’t tweet cause I didn’t have service but Bron different fr fr 😮💨
Wilson and the rest of the league’s top players, along with a stellar 2024 rookie class headlined by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, helped the WNBA experience an immensely successful year.
The WNBA announced that it attracted an all-time record of more than 54 million unique viewers across ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION and NBA TV during the 2024 season. The league’s total attendance of 2,353,735 was also the highest in 22 years and represented a 48 percent increase from 2023.
Although Wilson and the Aces were prevented from a three-peat following a playoff defeat at the hands of the New York Liberty, the league has continued to break records. The Game 1 WNBA Finals matchup between the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx drew 1.34 million viewers, representing the new most-viewed Finals contest on ABC.
