A’ja Wilson is i’nevitable.
Following a historic championship season, the WNBA All-Star was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year on Wednesday. It’s the latest accolade acknowledging Wilson’s unprecedented year that saw her named the league’s most valuable player for a record fourth time, as well as co-defensive player of the year and finals MVP.
“It’s an honor when you think about the group of women who have won before,” Wilson said to the AP. “Just to have my name be a part of it, I’m blessed.”
The Las Vegas Aces forward, who led her team to its third championship in four years, is just the fifth basketball player to be recognized for the award following Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Candace Parker (2008, 2021) and Caitlin Clark (2024).
Wilson is the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win the championship; be named Finals MVP, league MVP and DPOY; and claim the scoring title in the same season. In June, she also became the fastest player to ever reach the 5,000-point milestone in the league.
To celebrate collecting an array of on-court achievements this season, Wilson donned a replica of Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet during the Aces’ victory parade in October. Under each of the golden glove’s six Infinity Stones — which took the iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe villain an entire 23-film saga to collect and unleash — Wilson reportedly wrote down a different season honor.
“When you’ve collected everything, that’s Thanos,” Wilson said to Time, which named her the outlet’s Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. “And this year, I collected everything. I don’t really talk much [s—]. … I kind of let my game do it. This was my biggest moment of doing it, because no one’s ever done what I’ve done. And I think people really needed to understand that.”
It appears Wilson will need to procure another gauntlet just to commemorate her numerous accomplishments off of the basketball court as well. In February, the former Gamecock standout saw her alma mater South Carolina hang her college jersey in the rafters. In May, the two-time Olympic gold medalist saw the first batch of her Nike signature shoe sell out in a day. The bestselling author was also recently revealed as a member of the 2026 Met Gala’s host committee.
In addition to being the WNBA’s only four-time MVP and a three-time champion, Wilson is a two-time Finals MVP, a three-time DPOY and a seven-time All Star. And she’s just getting started.
“I’m just going to continue to prove why I’m one of the greatest and why my team is part of a dynamic dynasty,” Wilson told the AP.
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