In the history of the WNBA, there are a select few who have been regarded as the best ever. Sheryl Swoopes. Cynthia Cooper. Lisa Leslie.Sue Bird. Diana Taurasi. Maya Moore. Candace Parker. Officially entering the small caldera of basketball legends is A’Ja Wilson, whose dominance in the “W” is unprecedented after winning her third championship in four years when the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals. 

Undoubtedly, Wilson is one of the most decorated players in women's basketball history. She led the University of South Carolina Gamecocks to their first NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 2017, winning the NCAA Tournament “Most Outstanding Player” award. The following year, she swept all major National Player of the Year awards, the Naismith College Player of the Year, and the John R. Wooden Award. Her alma mater has erected a statue to commemorate her legacy and retired her number 22 jersey.

Upon entering the WNBA as the first overall draft pick of the Las Vegas Aces in 2018, she’s been building her Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) case with every accomplishment. She’s a four-time WNBA MVP (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025) and has led the Aces to three WNBA Championships (2022, 2023, 2025), winning the WNBA Finals MVP in both 2023 and 2025. Wilson is also a three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2022, 2023, 2025). On the international basketball scene,  Wilson earned gold medals with the USA National Team at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and she was named the FIBA Women's World Cup MVP in 2022.

The 2025 season catapulted Wilson to legendary status. She became the first WNBA or NBA player to be a champion, regular season MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. But this season, Wilson took on her greatest challenge as the Aces looked dead in the water with a 14-14 record after losing to the Minnesota Lynx. After losing by 50 points, Wilson sparked the team's unprecedented run with a group text to the team.

"At first I thought, 'I don't want my teammates to feel everything I'm feeling right now,'" Wilson told ESPN. "Then I realized: How can I help them understand that this is the last time we're going to feel this way?"

"I was dissecting the game in my head: What did [the Lynx] do that we could not do? It was just that they played harder,” Wilson continued. “That's when I decided to send the infamous text message."

Her text message read: “If you weren't embarrassed from yesterday, then don't come into this gym. You're not needed or wanted here. We need the mindset to shift, because that was embarrassing."

From the moment she sent that text, the Aces would never lose another regular-season game, climbing all the way to the second seed in the playoffs. In one of the best post-seasons in the history of the league, Wilson averaged 28.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in

To be a GOAT, it takes more than elite skills on the court, it takes leadership skills that challenge and encourage teammates. Wilson's leadership was on full display during this season as she led the Aces through adversity to become champions once again. 

It was GOAT work.

Wilson is clearly in contention for the Greatest of All Time title in the WNBA. At just 29-years-old, she has several more prime years to further solidify her case. With a combination of unprecedented accolades and dominant two-way play, Wilson’s already iconic resume of individual and team success rivals or surpasses any player at a similar point in their career. If she never plays basketball again, she would be considered one of the best players that the WNBA has ever witnessed.

As a cornerstone of the Aces’ dynasty and one of Nike’s most popular signature athletes, Wilson is well on her way to cementing her legacy as the undisputed greatest WNBA player to ever step on the court. Ladies and gentlemen, those are the facts.