A'ja Wilson
Five MVPs and counting. A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces holds the WNBA record with five MVP awards, three titles and the league's single-season scoring record of 1,021 points.
A'ja Wilson at the line: Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
A hometown hero first
A'ja Wilson stayed home for college, choosing the University of South Carolina in her own city of Columbia. She led the Gamecocks to their first national championship in 2017, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and swept the national player of the year awards as a senior in 2018.
Las Vegas picked her first overall in the 2018 draft, and she was Rookie of the Year that season.
Her coach at South Carolina was Dawn Staley, a Hall of Fame point guard. Wilson's first name comes from the Steely Dan song Aja, a favorite of her father's.
Building a dynasty in Vegas
Wilson won her first MVP in 2020 and the Aces became the WNBA's power team. They won back to back championships in 2022 and 2023, the first repeat champions in more than 20 years, and she was Finals MVP in 2023.
In 2024 she scored 1,021 points, the first player to pass 1,000 in a WNBA season, and won her third MVP. In 2025 she had one of the greatest seasons any pro has had, winning the scoring title, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same year as Las Vegas swept Phoenix for a third title.
The record five
In 2026 Wilson won a fifth MVP award, the most in league history. Before her, the record was three, shared by Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson. She has also led the league in blocks multiple times and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Her game mixes a soft midrange jumper, quick spins on the block and a fierce motor on the glass. She has also won two Olympic gold medals with the United States and was named MVP of the Paris 2024 tournament.
Her footwork in the post and her ability to finish through contact make her nearly impossible to guard one on one, so opponents often send a second defender, which opens shots for teammates like Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray.
Her own shoe
Wilson became one of the few women in basketball with her own signature sneaker when Nike released the A'One in 2025. She has spoken openly about dyslexia and about being proud of who she is, and she has a statue outside the arena at her old university.
For Fly Baller, A'ja is the full package: championships, records, style and a voice that reaches far beyond the court.
- A'ja Wilson at the line: Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Wilson in 2024: John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0
Text written by Fly Baller.
