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5 Biggest A’ja Wilson Controversies

A’ja Wilson is the shining star of the Las Vegas sports scene, but she is not above getting controversial. She loves to speak her mind and reporters lap it up.  Here are five of A’ja Wilson’s biggest controversies so far.

#5 Disagreeing with Shaquille O’Neal about rim height

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Source.Shaquille O’ Neal

Everyone has an opinion about how to make the WNBA more exciting and Shaquille O’Neal is no different. He claims the league would be more exciting to watch if they lowered the rim and gave players a better chance of dunking.

“60% of the fans said Dunking their favorite thing,” Shaq wrote on Instagram. “The WNBA has none of that. So they make much less money. Just trying to get you that 300 million dollars you deserve @aja22wilson #shaqwbnacommisioner. Love yall @wnba.Do it for the WNBA all-star game and watch the ratings go through the roof.”

A’ja Wilson disagrees.

“What is it gonna do?”  Wilson asked during a recent interview when talking about lowering the rim. “I would much rather just gear my offseason to, ‘Okay, vertical, maxing it out, let’s focus on this jumping,’ versus lowering it an inch. That could change all of our shots. Do y’all not understand that?”

#4 Being offered more money to compete in the Unrivaled league 

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Source. A’ja Wilson

 A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, are the latest players to receive deals to play for the UnRivaled League and it has everyone talking. The league is a three-on-three basketball league that consists of six teams playing three-on-three basketball.  it is also going to feature some of the best female basketball players from around the world.  Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Kate Martin, and several others are expected to participate. Despite the excitement surrounding the league’s debut, both Clark and Wilson have declined to participate

Money is always going to be a part of what makes the sports world go around and everyone loves to talk about it. Sports fans seemingly obsess over what sports athletes are earning the most and which aren’t earning enough. They also like to debate whether similar players deserve similar deals or not. There are several sites dedicated to these discussions alone. 

The only problem with these kinds of conversations is that it creates jealousy among fans. This is what is now playing out after sources claim that Wilson was offered a better deal. Someone who spoke with the Sports Bussiness Review Journal claims that Wilson was offered more money than Clark to participate Many fans are raging in the comments over this, claiming that Clark means more to the WNBA than Wilson.

“But there’s no jealousy in the WNBA. One die-hard Caitlin Clark fan responded on X to the Sports Business Journal post”  If Unrivaled offered Wilson more than Clark, which I don’t believe for a minute, they deserve to fail miserably because it would be irresponsible.

#3 Teaching her team about white privilege while shading Caitlin Clark

Las Vegas Aces

Race is a difficult subject to talk about in sports. No matter what you say, someone is going to take offense. That’s why seeing a video of A’ja Wilson on the sideline explaining white privilege was so polarizing. The Las Vegas Aces star also seemingly took a shot at Caitlin Clark.

In the video, A’ja Wilson is seen alongside Kelsey Plum, explaining how white privilege propels white players. She used UConn player Paige Bueckers as an example and claimed that it reminded her of Plum. Wilson then gave Plum what sounded like a backhanded compliment that seemed to be aimed at Caitlin Clark.

‘Us, as black women, Paige reminds me a lot of you,’ said Wilson. “She knows how her privilege has gotten her to that point ‘And also, [Bueckers is] good at basketball, obviously… She understands her privilege. It’s like what pushes her over the top, in a sense. It reminds me a lot of you. And I mean, that’s a compliment.”

#2 Claiming the Aces’ season was the toughest in sports

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Source. A’ja Wilson

One word to describe A’ja Wilson is vocal. She recently spoke her mind during an episode of “Roommates,” and the two-time MVP claims that the WNBA has the toughest schedule in sports.

“Yeah, for sure… Our rookie orientation isn’t anything too crazy — it’s a day before the [WNBA] Draft and you’re sitting there and you’re talking — but it’s like, we don’t get to go work out for teams, we don’t have a combine. I went in, I got drafted, I literally did training camp, and then I came back to college just to walk, to graduate,” Wilson said. “And then I had to go play my first preseason game… It’s insane.”

The 40-game schedule is not the toughest in sports by any stretch. It actually seems like an easier schedule compared to other sports. For example, MLB teams play over 100 games a year, NBA teams play 82, and NFL teams play 82. 

#1 Blaming the Olympics for not winning a championship

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Source. A’ja Wilson

A’ja Wilson is a player who is above making excuses. That’s why her recent comments regarding the WNBA schedule are very disheartening. It’s hard to take her seriously when she implies that the Olympics cost the Aces their third straight title in 2024.

“Our schedule is pretty crazy, and for us, (the Aces) had six Olympians this year. So that’s half our roster gone,” Wilson said. “While other teams may have their whole roster so they can train, go on vacation, they can rest. It’s a lot.”

Did participating in the Olympics hinder the Las Vegas Aces as a unit? The argument starts to fall flat when you consider that the New York Liberty had four players in the 2024 games. Yes, the Aces had their big three (A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young) participating. But excuses make them look sour. Intentional or not, A’ja Wilson is wrong for this.

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