Shes been leading the WNBA for years.
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At Michelob Ultra Arena,home of the Las Vegas Aces, her aura precedes her.
Its over an hour until tip-off, there are people wearing Aja Wilson jerseys,everywhere.
In the stands, a sea of signs: I WANT TO BE THE NEXT AJA!
I GOT MARRIED LAST NIGHT AND ALL I WANT FOR MY HONEYMOON IS AN AJA AUTOGRAPH!
THIS IS MY FIRST AJA WILSON GAME!
When Wilson eventually appearsnot physically, just on the Jumbotronthe crowd erupts.
One woman jumps up so quickly to cheer she spills her nachos.
On her nails, No.
22 painted in glittery silver polish.
Wilson, she tells me, is the reason she hoops and rolls her basketball shorts just so.
And then it happens.
The lights go low, then start strobing and flashing.
When Wilson runs out, the thunderclaps of the crowd reach a new octave.
According to StubHub, ticket sales have jumped up 93 percent since last season.
Teams like the Aces saw season ticket sell-outs; that was a first.
But a few weeks later, that record had already been broken.
By the time you read this, that may already be old news.
Its like keeping up with lightning; things are changing that fast.
Shes led her team to two back-to-back championships, and is hoping to secure a three-peat.
Shes a two-time MVP.
Which has only gotten better.
To watch Wilson play feels as if were witnessing someone alter the range of whats possible with basketball.
As Lil Waynes 6 Foot 7 Foot plays in the background, Wilson shoots around.
The song wraps, but Wilson keeps shooting, creating something of a rhythm of her own.
From the key, the wing, the corner:Swish, swishswishhhh.
Hands on their knees; bodies dripping and dropping.
They break to take a few shots from center court.
The worst of the commentary tinged with racist and sexist undertones.
Workers move in schools, quietly positioning two-top tables and spreading out black tablecloths.
Wilson walks in after having just finished practice.
Shes kickbacked and casual in soft gray shorts and an olive green sports bra.
This is a physical sport.
Its my job and I love what I do.
Wilsons talking, in part, about the so-called rookie rivalry.
![“There’s a lot of great players who came before her [Wilson] and a lot of great players that will come after her. But right now, in this era that we’re in, she’s the most dominant women’s basketball player in the world.” — Nikki Fargas](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2FUm5wFDbL9USLs6izCT4.jpg)
A beef that in her mind is completely manufactured.
Ive been in that same spot.
Ive been in that heat, Ive been in that seat, says Wilson, 27.
She didnt have to do that.
Moschino jumpsuit; Bulgari earrings
When Wilson came to the Aces, she didnt have that.
Everyone was new, from the coaching staff to the front office.
I venture to confirm Im the vet that I didnt really have, she says.
The guidance is needed, particularly now, because theres so much noise.
Thats who Aja is.
She is us, and we are her.
She carries that for all of us.
Her achievements break barriers.
They challenge stereotypes, and she has paved the way for progress towards equality.
Fargas speaks of Wilson as if describing a scientific state, as something both defined and in evolution.
Shes the nucleus of this league, Fargas says.
Theres a lot of great players in this league.
Womens basketball has beenthis good.
Look at Sheryl Swoopes and Candace Parker and Cynthia Cooper with her legendary pick-and-roll.
Look at Wilson, the Aces supernova center.
At Heathwood Hall Episcopal Schoolin Columbia, South Carolina, Wilson wasnt even good at basketball.
Shes six-foot-four now, but back then she hadnt had her growth spurt yet.
She didn’t stand out.
Around eighth grade, her dad told her she had to dosomethingand handed her a basketball.
Onlygoodplayers were worthy of being that close to Jordans orbit of greatness.
Instead she chose No.
22, which would become a symbol of greatness all its own.
But thats yet to come.
I was just happy to be there, she says.
The runway from subpar to superstar was short, though.
She understood what it felt like to win and it was intoxicating.
Suddenly basketball was on every TV in the house.
She used her moms flower pots as defenders.
When she arrived on the scene, she was already realized.
The love of basketball in her bones.
As a teen, she began playing on AAU teams and securing spots at high-level, invitation-only basketball camps.
She was also close to her grandmother, Hattie Rakes, whose name is tattooed on her arm.
Staley is the person who keeps it real with her, no matter what, Wilson tells me.
Certainly she was skilled, but to go pro is all so tenuous.
But these days, Im proud, Staley says.
Sometimes you put the work in and you dont always get the results that you want.
Playing at the University of South Carolina meant something on a deeper level to Wilson.
When people say, Im my ancestors wildest dreams, I live that, she says.
Im a product of a Jim Crow era.
My grandmother couldnt walk on this campus.
My dad couldnt play for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
He had to go to an HBCU up the street because he couldnt go to that school.
So to have his daughter be successful there?”
In January of 2021, the school put up a statue of Wilson to honor her accomplishments.
Wilsons arrival to the Aces signaled a shift in the dusty Las Vegas basketball scene: they began winning.
She is the nucleus of this league, Fargas says.
Right now, in this era, she is the most dominant womens basketball player in the world.
But success arrived as an unexpected challenge.
On the success end, its very lonely.
Youre very by yourself because it takes a lot of hard work and consistency to get up there.
So you may be up there by yourself and its kind of like,Who do I turn to?
You have that sense of anxiety and you want to be perfect and you want to be great.
And those are the times when youre like, I need someone the most.
It was 2020 when Wilson really began to feel that, emotionally and mentally.
My mind would not settle down for nothing, she says.
I was just like, basketball used to be my outlet…My mind was rattled.
I started to get anxiety attacks.
And so she didnt.
She prioritized getting sleep.
Gave herself permission to not be the first one in the gym and the last one to leave.
Wilson thinks the rising interestin womens basketball is great, dont get her wrong.
Its like, New fans, welcome!
Hello, Im glad you guys are here!
Take a seat, grab popcorn, because youre in for a ride, she says.
And then all of a sudden this influencer goes there and is like, Try the chicken tenders.
And now the next time you go its flooded with people.
Because yes, basketball is a business.
When Wilson talks about changing the game this is what she means.
(Later, in anEssencearticle, James called Wilson the Rookie With a Voice.)
But it wasnt always that way.
After working on it for nearly two years, it will be out in 2025.
Know that there is a piece of me with you.
Balmain top; Nike Aja Wilson Signature Collection leggings; Talent’s own necklace
No.
I see a future of great success and achievement, Fargas says.
I really think that AjaI know this sounds crazybut I think she is just now peaking.
This year, shell head back to the Olympics for the second time.
Man, its huge, Wilson says.
I called my parents and was just as happy as I was the first time.
Certainly Wilson has the talent to keep reaching new heights, but Fargas is talking about the intangibles.
It feels like artwork to me when I watch Aja, Carter says.
When youre on a different plane, well, why wouldnt you smile?
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