A’ja Wilson is one of the top women’s basketball players and an athletic hero. She got into basketball with the support and encouragement of her parents, despite her initial reluctance to do sports.
The former University of South Carolina women’s basketball player would gradually develop an interest in basketball. Her dad, Roscoe Wilson Jr., would make her wear a weighted vest while she scored layups. The athlete described this period as “the hell part” of their relationship, but it also helped to improve her skills.
“Left hand, right hand, left hand, right hand,” Roscoe told ESPN. “I’d tell her to always know where her feet should be, don’t bring her hands down below her shoulders. Now, it’s second nature.”
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Wilson played for the University of South Carolina from 2015 to 2018. While playing for the Gamecocks, they won the 2017 NCAA Tournament, three SEC regular-season titles, and four SEC Tournament wins. In 2018, the WNBA drafted her as the No. 1 pick in the first round, and she made her debut with the Las Vegas Aces. That year, she won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and became a member of the All-Rookie Team. Furthermore, she has won two WNBA championships and is a two-time league MVP, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and five-time league All-Star.
On Sunday, the WNBA star made history as she became the Las Vegas Aces’ all-time leading scorer. Wilson scored 28 points in the 104-85 victory to bring her Aces total to 4,301 points, surpassing Sophia Young-Malcolm’s previous record of 4,300, according to CNN. Wilson also had 10 rebounds in the game at the Michelob Ultra Arena, earning her 11th double-double of the season.
“Celebrating A’ja Wilson on becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and the dub 🗣️ The @LVAces outlast the Dallas Wings 104-85. Their 104 PT outing marked a szn high A’ja Wilson dominated with 28 PTS, 10 REB while Kelsey Plum scored 23 PTS#WelcometotheWpic.twitter.com/W7QJDfwn0F — WNBA (@WNBA) July 7, 2024,” the team noted ina tweet on X, formerly Twitter.
“It means the world, it really does,” Wilson told the ESPN broadcast after the game. “It’s a special moment. I didn’t even know, honestly, until about the third quarter. Sydney [Colson] actually told me, she was like, ‘Come on, this is your chance, you don’t want to do it away, you want to do it at home.’ And I was like, ‘That is right.’
“So I’m so grateful to have this moment, my teammates sharing it with me, this crowd sharing it with me. But the job’s not done. we still got a lot more we gotta learn and grow from, but I’m definitely gonna take in this moment.”
Meanwhile, Wilson is in contention to win her third MVP award after dominating the season, averaging a league-leading 27 points per game. Not only that, she is also looking to complete a historic three-peat with Las Vegas, having won the WNBA championship in both 2022 and 2023.
