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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty
If there’s one thing A’ja Wilson is gonna do, it’s win. From her days as a college phenom to becoming one of the most dominant forces in WNBA history, her journey is one that should be studied…so, we did just that. This April, for Black Women’s History Month, we uncovered her “success playbook” to get a play-by-play understanding of how she made history!
Play #1: Own Your Talent Early
Spring 2014 – A’ja was the No. 1 high school recruit in the country and had her pick of any college. She chose to stay in her hometown, attending University of South Carolina after committing to Dawn Staley’s program.
Play #2: Show Up & Show Out
April 1, 2017 – A’ja led South Carolina to its first-ever NCAA championship, dropping 23 points in the Final Four game.
March 2018 – She finished her college career as a 4x SEC Player of the Year and the 2018 National Player of the Year.
Play #3: Hit the Ground Running
April 12, 2018 – The Las Vegas Aces selected A’ja as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. She wasted no time, earning Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 20.7 points per game.
Play #4: Level Up & Collect the Hardware
Summer 2020: Wilson won her first Olympic gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics (she went on to win for the 2nd time in 2024.)
September 2020 – In just her third season, A’ja won her first WNBA MVP award, leading the Aces to the Finals in the Wubble season.
September 18, 2022 – The Las Vegas Aces won their first-ever WNBA Championship, with A’ja leading the charge. That same year, she earned her second MVP award and Defensive Player of the Year.
Play #5: Cement Your Legacy in the History Books
September 10, 2023 – A’ja became the first player in WNBA history to score over 1,000 points in a single season, dropping 40-point game.
September 26, 2023 – She was named the unanimous MVP, making her only the second player in history (next to Houston Comets’ Cynthia Cooper, 1997) to receive every single first-place vote.
October 18, 2023 – A’ja and the Aces won back-to-back championships.
Play #6: Pay it Forward
Beyond the stats, A’ja is a leader, a prominent advocate for Black women in sports, dyslexia awareness (finding out late in life about her own dyslexia), bullying prevention, and social justice through A’ja Wilson Foundation (AWF), which she co-founded with her parents. Its mission is twofold, serving as a resource for children and their families who struggle with dyslexia to empower them to reach their full potential through educational programming, workshops and camps (AWF).
Her book, Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You, released in February 2024 and as a way to pour back into her community—especially young girls, reminding them that they truly can do anything they set their mind to. Although the world sees her as far from average, self-proclaims to be the “Queen of Mediocre,” and tells the story about how her tenacity and work ethic but is what aided in her success.
A’ja Wilson is proof that talent, hard work, and being unapologetically yourself is the ultimate game plan for success. Though her success playbook is still being written, one thing’s for sure…A’ja Wilson isn’t just making history—she’s defining it.
