A’ja Wilson wants fans to stop ignoring what makes women’s basketball special

A’ja Wilson has been busy since winning her third championship with the Aces, appearing on several podcasts and shows. Her latest stop was on Hot Ones. As Wilson struggled with spicy wings, she talked about her buzzer-beater in Game 3 of the finals, playing for Dawn Staley in college, and the narrative around dunking in the WNBA. 

As women’s basketball continues to gain popularity, certain people increasingly compare it to the men’s game. One narrative that constantly comes up in these conversations is that WNBA players are less athletic and that the game is less interesting because there are significantly fewer dunks than in the men’s game. Some people have even suggested that the WNBA should lower its rims to make the game more interesting. A’ja Wilson is not a fan—and not just because lowering the rim would completely change players’ shots. Focusing so much on what WNBA players don’t do completely ignores all the things they do so well. 

“Dunking is cool,” Wilson said. “But maybe it’s just not a part of our game, and I wish people could really understand that and really cherish the other things we bring to the game that may be just as flashy as dunking. I play with an amazing point guard in Chelsea Gray, and her passes are some passes that I’ve never even seen before on any stage. It could be the equivalent of the flashiness of dunking. So, I wish people could get away from that, stop talking about lowering the rims…and just kind of focus on the craft that we have in our league right now.”

Dunks are special but WNBA players can do a lot more

On July 30, 2002, Lisa Leslie became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. She got a long pass on a fastbreak and scored on a one-handed dunk. Since then, several WNBA players have followed in her footsteps. 

In 2008, Candace Parker dunked in back-to-back games—first on a fastbreak in a game against the Indiana Fever and once against the Seattle Storm. The third player to dunk in a game was Michelle Snow who threw down a reverse dunk in the 2006 All-Star Game. Brittney Griner wasted no time dunking in her first WNBA game and is still the only player to have dunked more than twice in a game. 

Jonquel Jones, Liz Cambage, Sylvia Fowles, and Awak Kuier have also dunked in a WNBA game or All-Star game. Cambage also became the first woman to dunk during the Olympics in 2012.

Griner and Jones are the only active players on that list, but Kuier looks ready to return to the WNBA next season and other players could join the list. Dominique Malonga, for example, has already showcased her ability to dunk—just not in a game. Laeticia Amihere has also dunked in warmups before. 

There are plenty of WNBA players who can dunk, but it’s not a crucial part of their game. Whenever it happens, it’s incredibly special, but WNBA players also do tons of other special things in games. Chelsea Gray’s passes are one example. Long threes from Caitlin Clark or Sabrina Ionescu or Wilson’s empathic blocks also belong on that list, among many other things.