A’ja Wilson, middle, shares a heartfelt moment with a young fan wearing her Team USA jersey at the WNBA Live fan experience in Phoenix. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – A young boy stepped in line for a meet-and-greet with A’ja Wilson Saturday at the WNBA Live fan experience inside the Phoenix Convention Center wearing the two-time WNBA champion’s Team USA jersey. He waited patiently at the AT&T activation space for his moment to capture a picture with Wilson, and when his turn came, he wrapped his left arm around the 6-foot-4 center and smiled for the camera. He didn’t leave automatically. Understanding the magnitude of an opportunity he may never experience again, he screamed to the Las Vegas Aces superstar, “I love you, A’ja.”
The interaction reflected the blossoming adoration many have for the WNBA and women’s basketball as a whole. Merch sales at WNBA Live set an all-time record for All-Star merchandise sales. The WNBA’s viewership is up 183% from last season, according to PBS. WNBA All-Star voting increased 600% from last year. For Saturday’s game, Footprint Center was sold out with 16,407 fans on hand to watch Team WNBA beat Team USA, 117-109.
In a time of massive growth for the sport, stars like Wilson and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu desire to walk in humility by taking advantage of the attention through mentorship initiatives for young fans. The two superstars faced off against each other in the 2023 WNBA Finals but, off the court, are on one accord about pouring into young fans. The two superstars are partnering with AT&T to spearhead Beyond the Bleachers, a mentorship-focused content series. AT&T will fly out the winner to meet their desired mentor. Ionescu understands her role extends past the court.
“Obviously, our job is to be the best basketball players we can be. But it’s a lot bigger than that and continuing to inspire the next generation to come and be better than we are,” Ionescu said. “And with that, I think we have to understand the platform that we have and how we can impact and change someone’s life. And if we can do that through being a mentor, through helping and being able to kind of open arms and bring the next generation in, I think that’s something that we need to continue to do.”
The WNBA engaged over 5,000 young people during All-Star weekend, according to WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert. Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham and Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin interacted with girls scouts from Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine Council Thursday at the inaugural Changemaker Day in Phoenix to kick off All-Star Weekend. In partnership with the organization, the WNBA formed the day to highlight WNBA Changemakers’ dedication to empowering underrepresented groups.
Dena Cunningham, the organization’s CFO, believes intimate experiences with players humanize them in the eyes of young girls.
“It’s important to mentor the girls because many girls don’t have an opportunity to see things outside of their small atmosphere or small environment,” she said. “And so it’s great to have opportunities to see beyond what they may see in their normal everyday life.
“It’s just coming out here and supporting them and pouring into them. It gives them an opportunity to see and meet and hear insights, and that makes them (WNBA athletes) real, so it’s an opportunity to say hey, ‘That’s a human being, they’re just like me.’”
Sabrina Ionescu, leading the New York Liberty with a team-high 19.4 points per game, emphasizes the importance of mentorship and preparation. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)
A part of the human experience is witnessing success and difficulty. Since joining the WNBA in 2018, Wilson has earned two MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards and an All-Star nod in each of her six seasons. Her achievements, along with her struggles, are the bastion of the advice she provides to young fans.
“Never get too high with your highs, never get too low with your lows. Make sure that you’re even-keeled in everything that you do and great in that space,” Wilson said when asked what’s a valuable lesson she’s learned from a mentor that she’d teach others. “There are many moments in life where it seems like the world is crashing down on us. There’s going to be moments in life when you feel like you’re on top of the world and understand not to get so caught up in those moments and just kind of have a sense of belonging, and I think that’s so key in just living and growing in your own space and having fun with it.”
Ionescua has led the Liberty to a WNBA-best 21-4 record while averaging a team-high 19.4 points and 6.2 assists per game. Her play speaks to her welcoming the advice she received from her mentors, which is the same advice she’d propose to her mentee.
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“Just be trusting in your work,” Ionescu said. “And then your preparation. I think that’s something that’s in your control – how you prepare for whatever it is, basketball or not, how you prepare yourself, and how that helps you just stay ready. And it gives you the confidence that you need to go and be your best.”
Mentorship isn’t foreign to the WNBA and its athletes. In 1997, WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo became one of the first players to sign with the league. She believes the league has a rich history of inspiring others, but with more opportunities today than in the past for women, it’s important current athletes continue to embrace the role model responsibility.
“I think that’s one of the things that players and the league itself have done an extraordinary job of since the beginning,” Lobo said. “Obviously, when the league first started, nobody grew up watching professional basketball because it wasn’t (where it is today). So there’s always sort of an ownership of we have to really take care of this for the next generation.
“As a result, I feel like the women in the league then and even till now feel a sense that this isn’t just about us. It’s about who’s coming after us.”
Lobo recognizes it’s not only about inspiring girls with a WNBA dream.
“And not even (only about) who’s going to be playing in the WNBA after us, but opportunities that young girls are going to have hopefully, that the current crop of women don’t have, and that was that were a lot more opportunities that were not available 25 years ago,” Lobo said. “Fortunately, there’s a lot more for young girls and women now in all areas of life. But I do think there’s something about the women in the WNBA where they value that and as a result, do a really good job of whether it’s directly mentoring other young women or girls or just being great role models and examples on and off the floor. I think it’s something that the athletes truly value.”
WNBA athletes are committed to planting seeds, but advice is futile without an individual goal. For Wilson, who will play for a second Olympic gold medal this summer in Paris, it’s paramount that young fans attack their ambitions with all their heart, mind, and soul.
“(If) you want to be that pro and that Olympian, go after it, and don’t let anyone stop you,” she said. “From a girl that hated the sweat, didn’t want to play basketball at all and now I’m here being an Olympian. I’ve got the nerve to be a two-time Olympian, it’s crazy,” she said. “I always continue to believe in myself and approach it with a great mindset, and then no one else can stop you from there.”
