A biography for A'ja Wilsonhasn’t been written yet.
“Like it or love it, I'm gonna be me regardless.”
“I was a late bloomer when it came to basketball.”
“Playing around some of the best ever to play has been a lot of fun, seeing their basketball IQ and their knowledge.”
“As Black women, there's so much pressure on us to be everything to everyone. We're expected to wear so many different hats, and to juggle so many different roles - and to do it all with a smile.”
“Yes, you see me in a uniform. Yes, you can see the banners, the trophies and the rings. But behind all that, I'm a human.”
“For the women, the respect factor is the biggest thing. We don't really get the respect we need. It's not the fans, it's other people that don't follow the league.”
“I hated basketball.”
“I decided to start my pro career off by partnering with YouCaring to host a fundraising campaign for Palmetto Children's Hospital.”
“Sometimes, I'm in my own way. I have to let people come in and tell me things that I need to hear, and not necessarily things that I want to hear. That's Coach Staley.”
“Me being the first WNBA player with Dew is also special.”
“People who know me off the court know I express what's on my mind, and I can also take the heat.”
“Some mornings I want to sit in bed and maybe cry my heart out a little bit, and feel all the feelings. That's not weakness. That's honesty.”
“My biggest thing was when I became a professional athlete, I would think back and think about times where I kind of saw the WNBA on TV growing up. But like, it's not a vivid memory. Where its not like, 'Wow, I want to be like her.'”
“I'm a type of person where I hate when things have to hit close to home for everyone to jump and be like, 'Oh, my God. We have to change. We have to do something about it.'”
“People are going to talk their talk, but at the end of the day, staying true to you, I think it, like, clears up a lot of things.”
“Mental health is always somethin' that's really tough to talk about. But I'm glad that, you know, athletes that are on a platform can share our stories in a way to show people that we're all going through it.”
“Barbecue is always good in the south, especially in South Carolina.”
“You know when you are an athlete, nothing is supposed to be wrong. Everything is supposed to be easy and life is good.”
“I lose sight of who I am, because I'm trying to take care of everyone around me.”
“Coach Staley is the real boss. You're talking about a woman who won three Olympic gold medals for our country. You're talking about a six-time WNBA All-Star. You're talking about a Naismith winner as a player and a coach. She's the ultimate boss.”