A'ja Wilson

“My biggest thing would just be: I'm a big celebrate the small wins, but dissect my Ls person. That's what makes me who I am. If I can dissect those Ls and turn them into lessons in real life - where did I go wrong, how can I fix it? - it helps me celebrate those big wins even more.”

“There's a difference between being a leader and a boss. I've never wanted to be a boss.”

“I don't really pay attention to the outside noise or who is in front of me because I feel God has fully equipped me to be who I am, and I feel he's given me enough to be what I can be. I'm battling with myself at the end of the day.”

“As I always say, 'If you could see her, you could be her.' So, you have to put yourself out there so people can see you.”

“Partnering with Gatorade is a dream come true.”

“Josh Hart and I - we've been close to since we did the Wooden Awards together in college when both of our teams won the national championship. We've always been cool, but I know he always has my back and I always have his.”

“I was a kid who liked hanging out at home, watching TV, and having the occasional sleepover at a friend's. I wasn't trying to be outside shooting 1,000 free throws in the driveway before the sun came up every morning.”

“Allisha's a big guard, and I love that. Wait, no - no no. I have to back this up a second. This is where a good journalist I think has to make a 'full disclosure.' O.K., full disclosure: Allisha Gray is my best friend.”

“I grew up wanting to play in Nike, but both my high school and college wore something else. So to be able to fulfill that childhood dream is special.”

“So many different things can really hurt you mentally.”

“Our fans love us and love the game because it gives people the chance to come and have fun while watching great basketball.”

“I was always able to learn better in small classrooms. So my parents sent me to this private school called Heathwood.”

“You could ask any of my closest friends - they know I'm going to speak what's on my mind.”

“I know what it takes to build a winning program - because I've seen one built firsthand.”

“We're taught to be strong, independent, always handling things our way. But if you do too much, you're the angry Black woman. 'Calm down.' And it's just like we always have to fight that. I just got so tired of that.”

“You have to protect your peace first; your brand is gonna come with that but your peace is what really matters.”

“I can still be a princess and still be an elite basketball player, and once I found that out, oh, I was good. I was like, oh, this is me.”

“I come from teams where they expect me to do a lot.”

“I continue to try to be that face that young girls, particularly Black girls, can have a tangible role model to know that they are going to be okay in this world.”

“At the end of the day, there are different paths to greatness. And I feel like we don't hear that message enough, especially as Black women.”