A’ja Wilson is a professional basketball player from the United States, currently playing for the Las Vegas Aces in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
During her college years, she was a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks, where she played a pivotal role in securing the Gamecocks’ inaugural NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship in 2017, and was honored with the Most Outstanding Player award of the NCAA basketball tournament.
In the 2018 WNBA draft, A’ja Wilson was selected as the first overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces. She achieved her first WNBA MVP award with the Aces in 2020, and repeated this success in 2022 and 2024. In 2022, A’ja Wilson was instrumental in guiding the Aces to their first championship title in franchise history, a remarkable achievement she replicated in 2023, earning the Finals MVP award. On July 7, 2024, during a game against the Dallas Wings, she became the all-time leading scorer for the Aces. On the international stage, A’ja Wilson represents the United States women’s national basketball team, with whom she has secured two Olympic gold medals and two World Cup gold medals.
A’ja Riyadh Wilson was born on August 8, 1996, in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Throughout her primary and secondary education, she was one of the few black students at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, a private institution located in southern Columbia. A’ja Wilson participated in a total of 119 games during her high school career after joining the varsity team in the eighth grade. She averaged 24.7 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks per game throughout her high school tenure. After finishing as a runner-up in her junior year, Wilson led Heathwood Hall to victory in the 2014 state championship during her senior year. Her impressive averages of 35 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks per game as a senior earned her the title of National High School Player of The Year in 2014.
A’ja Wilson participated in 37 games during her freshman year, resulting in four single-game freshman records in the SEC and three single-season freshman records in the SEC, and she was awarded the SEC Freshman of the Year. In 2016, as a sophomore, she secured her first SEC Player of the Year award and was recognized as a consensus All-American, leading the Gamecocks to both the SEC regular season and Tournament Championship.
In 2017, A’ja Wilson again guided the Gamecocks to an SEC regular season and Tournament championship, ultimately achieving the school’s first national championship with a remarkable victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the championship game. She was honored as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
In 2018, A’ja Wilson experienced her most statistically impressive season, earning all of the National Player of the Year awards. She achieved a record third consecutive SEC Player of the Year award and was also named a Consensus All-American for the third consecutive year. Wilson concluded her college career at South Carolina as the all-time leading scorer for the institution.
In 2018, A’ja Wilson was selected first overall by the Las Vegas Aces. On May 21, 2018, in her professional debut, she recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 101–65 defeat against the Connecticut Sun. On June 16, 2018, A’ja Wilson achieved a career-high of 35 points along with 13 rebounds in a 101–92 overtime win against the Indiana Fever, becoming the second rookie in league history to score 35 points and secure 10 rebounds. A’ja Wilson was subsequently voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. Later in the season, she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, finishing tied for third in scoring. Her performance throughout the season nearly propelled the Aces into the playoffs, as they concluded the season in 9th place with a 14–20 record.
On June 29, 2019, A’ja Wilson achieved a new career-high by scoring 39 points in a 102–97 overtime win against the Indiana Fever. In July, she sustained an ankle injury that sidelined her for 4 weeks, resulting in her absence from the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game. She made her comeback in mid-August. By the conclusion of the season, the Las Vegas Aces had a record of 21–13, securing the number 4 seed and earning a bye to the second round, which marked the franchise’s return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
During the 2020 season, the Las Vegas Aces emerged as championship contenders. The season was postponed and condensed to 22 games played in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With her all-star teammate Liz Cambage opting out of the season for health reasons, A’ja Wilson stepped up, leading the team with impressive statistics. The Las Vegas Aces concluded the season with an 18-4 record, claiming the number 1 seed and receiving a double bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Las Vegas Aces triumphed over the Connecticut Sun in a challenging five-game series, advancing to the Finals for the second time in the franchise’s history (the first since relocating to Las Vegas). However, facing a fully equipped Seattle Storm team with a depleted roster, the Las Vegas Aces were swept in three games. A’ja Wilson was awarded the MVP title for the 2020 season.
In 2022, A’ja Wilson secured her second MVP award and her first Defensive Player of the Year accolade, averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while leading the league with 17 double-doubles. She played a pivotal role in guiding the Las Vegas Aces to their second finals appearance in three seasons, where they defeated the Connecticut Sun in four games, earning A’ja Wilson her first championship.
On June 30, 2023, A’ja Wilson signed a contract extension with the Aces, ensuring her continued presence in Las Vegas. On August 22, 2023, she reached a new career milestone by scoring 53 points and securing 7 rebounds in a 112–100 victory against the Atlanta Dream. This remarkable 53-point performance equaled the WNBA’s single-game record and stands as one of only three instances of scoring over 50 points in WNBA history. Despite another impressive regular season in 2023, where she ranked among the WNBA leaders in points, rebounds, and blocks per game, A’ja Wilson was unable to achieve back-to-back MVP titles. Nevertheless, she successfully defended her title as Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The Las Vegas Aces dominated their initial two playoff series in 2023, defeating the Chicago Sky and the Dallas Wings. They carried this momentum into the Finals against the New York Liberty, winning the first two games of the series on their home court and extending their playoff winning streak to eight games. Although they faced a setback in Game 3 on the Liberty’s home ground and lost two starters to injury, A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces managed to overcome a late double-digit deficit in Game 4, ultimately defeating the Liberty 70-69 to secure their second consecutive WNBA title. This victory marked the first back-to-back WNBA championship since the Los Angeles Sparks achieved the feat in 2001 and 2002. In the 2023 WNBA Finals, Wilson averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, surpassing her regular season averages of 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. For her outstanding performance in the Aces-Liberty series, she was honored with her first Finals MVP award.
On June 5, 2024, during a match against the Dallas Wings, A’ja Wilson made history by becoming the first player to achieve at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a single game in WNBA history.
On August 10, 2025, in a 94-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun, A’ja Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to record 30 or more points and 20 rebounds in the same game.
A’ja Wilson career highlights
2x Olympics champion (2021, 2024)
2x World Champion (2018, 2022)
2x WNBA champion (2022, 2023)
3x WNBA MVP (2020, 2022, 2024)
2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2022, 2023)
1x WNBA Finals MVP (2023)
7x WNBA All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021–2025)
4x All-WNBA First Team (2020, 2022–2024)
3x WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2022–2024)
4x WNBA blocks leader (2020, 2022–2024)
1x WNBA Rookie of the Year (2018)
1x NCAA champion (2017)
1x FIBA Women’s Olympics MVP (2024)
1x FIBA Women’s World Cup MVP (2022)
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