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A’ja Wilson honored with historic achievement

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Derek Hegna | Last updated Feb 21, 2025 1:29 PM ET

Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson continues to cement her legacy both on and off the court.

The list of her awards goes on seemingly forever, and she finds herself on the trajectory of being the greatest women’s basketball player of all time when all is said and done. However, she has also used her platform to promote a message of equality. Emerging as a strong leader has only increased her popularity as the WNBA begins to surge in that department.

Wilson’s contributions as a player and as a person have officially been recognized with one of the most distinguished awards imaginable.

TIME Magazine has named Wilson as one of their Women of the Year.

Wilson is one of two athletes in the 13 selections by the magazine, with the other being Team USA Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles.

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and gymnast Jordan Chiles became fast friends in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympics.

For TIME’s annual Women of the Year issue, the athletes reunite for a conversation about a game-changing year in women’s sports https://t.co/azDx5uxuax pic.twitter.com/iPixvyBLUx

— TIME (@TIME) February 20, 2025

The two held a joint interview with the magazine, with Wilson herself addressing various topics from her friendship with Chiles to her own personal mental health struggles and her thoughts on equity between the WNBA and NBA.

“Being a professional athlete, people assume that you’re supposed to be this perfect human being, you have no worries—why are you even complaining?” Wilson said. “You live this beautiful life—when they fail to realize that we’re still human and things hurt my feelings.”

Wilson also addressed her own future, such as the possibility of playing for a team other than the Aces.

“That’s more of a front-office question, but Vegas will forever be my home,” Wilson responded. “I was their first draft pick ever of the franchise, so they really brought me in. And the things that we’ve done—straight out the gate, we set the standard for the league to follow, and we put a lot of other franchises in the league on their heels. If I could retire an Ace, I would love to. I don’t see myself putting on any different jersey.”

Wilson, Chiles and the other nominees will be honored by TIME during their annual gala next month.

Congratulations go out to Wilson for yet another historic milestone.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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