Oct 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) against the Phoenix Mercury during game three of the 2025 WNBA Finals at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A'ja Wilson Reveals Toughest WNBA Player to Defend

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 11:45 AM ET

No WNBA player has an easy time trying to defend Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson.

Despite still being just 29 years old, Wilson has already cemented herself as one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time. She has won three WNBA championships, is a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, a four-time WNBA MVP, a seven-time WNBA All-Star, and has been the league's scoring champion in each of the past two seasons.

While her 2025 statistics actually showed some regression from the season prior, Wilson still averaged an impressive 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range during the regular season. Not to mention that she tallied 2.3 blocks per game (and 2.5 per game in the playoffs), which was a large part of why she won the 2025 WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year Award.

All of this shows that there's really no comparison to Wilson when it comes to being a multi-faceted threat on the court. However, there are plenty of other elite players in the league, many of whom are tough matchups even for her.

A'ja Wilson's Stance on Toughest WNBA Player to Defend Makes Sense

Wilson was the guest on a November 13 episode on the Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce podcast, and answered honestly when asked who the hardest player in the WNBA is for her to defend.

"I'm gonna always say Breanna Stewart. I'm gonna always say Stewie," Wilson said. "Only because Stewie is just, she's a three-level scorer. And the way that she plays the game is so tough to read, because she's that skillful. And so sometimes, when I'm thinking about how to guard her, how to make it hard for her — because some players, you're just like, 'Okay, force it to their bad hand. You can live with it' — but Stewie is completely different.

"You really have to be able to know how and when she's gonna score the basketball. And that's super, super tough," Wilson continued. "But I love it. I really love competing against Stewie, because every time we play against each other, it is blockbuster, some elite basketball that you're watching. And she makes me think every possession, and I love that."

She then noted, "Because sometimes I get bored, mid-game. Just because of just the person that I am, I just get bored easily. But when you're guarding Stewie, you have to keep your head on a swivel, because she's very guard-like. But then also, she's tall. So yeah, you get the best of both worlds."