When Wilson found out she was named TIME\u2019s Athlete of the Year, her \u201cjaw dropped,\u201d she said. She reflected on her year of accolades and records: She became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win a championship, claim the scoring title, and be named Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. King called it her \u201cbad-assery.\u201d For Wilson, scoring TIME\u2019s recognition was \u201cthe cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a kid, Wilson recalled not wanting to play basketball. \u201cI was not a girly that liked to sweat,\u201d she said, but due to her father\u2019s influence, basketball was all around her, and she soon got the itch for winning. \u201cNow, I sweat for a living, and it pays my bills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson said she knows she doesn\u2019t want to be a coach when her career as a player ends. But she understands what it takes to win and what is needed from a team to hoist a championship trophy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne rotten apple can tear a locker room apart,\u201d she said, describing moments she had to bring her team together. Before Wilson\u2019s Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA championship this October, sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in the finals and securing their third title in four years, tensions were high, she recalled, but she knew, \u201cIt\u2019s our time to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson especially understands the importance of mental health, something the two-time Olympic gold medalist has spoken about openly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome days I\u2019m in the mountaintops and some days I\u2019m in the valleys,\u201d she said, but having the right support system is key. \u201cIf we can find that healthy balance and understand that it\u2019s OK to feel that way and it\u2019s OK to not be OK, I think we can take it to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n
The WNBA is currently negotiating a collective bargaining agreement for the 2025 season, and Wilson emphasized the importance of equal treatment for female athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing we want is money. \u2026 We just want fair compensation,\u201d she said, adding that all teams deserve practice facilities and that these fights will set the stage for future generations of WNBA players.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s also an advocate off the court. Through her foundation<\/a>, Wilson hosts an Unapologetic Girls Summit, where roughly 100 young girls gather to learn about adulthood and financial literacy, among other topics designed to give them tools to succeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being a strong role model is a priority for Wilson, who says she sources motivation in her career from the inspiration she might provide for young athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n LeBron James, TIME\u2019s 2020 Athlete of the Year<\/a>, told TIME for its profile of Wilson<\/a> that he remembers his 11-year-old daughter watching her on TV: \u201cA\u2019ja Wilson is the definition of female Black excellence, and I am so grateful she is giving my daughter the kind of inspiration I got from Michael Jordan and Ken Griffey Jr.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the reason why I do what I do and why I love what I do,\u201d Wilson said of her impact on younger generations. \u201cI always say, if you can see her, you can be her. \u2026 If a young girl can look at the WNBA or me and say, \u2018I just want to do that,\u2019 \u2026 that\u2019s the real trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n A Year in TIME was presented by Rolex, American Family Insurance, Serum Institute of India, La Croix, and The Macallan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Wilson found out she was named TIME\u2019s Athlete of the Year, her \u201cjaw dropped,\u201d she said. She…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":338522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[461,49,48,8330,43162,147163,43606,82,630],"class_list":["post-338521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-basketball","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news-desk","tag-overnight","tag-person-of-the-year","tag-sponsorshipblock","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/338522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}