{"id":339476,"date":"2025-12-12T02:26:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T02:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/339476\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T02:26:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T02:26:07","slug":"aja-wilson-isnt-hating-but-caitlin-clark-obsession-threatens-to-erase-rich-wnba-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/339476\/","title":{"rendered":"A’ja Wilson Isn’t Hating But Caitlin Clark Obsession Threatens To ‘Erase’ Rich WNBA History"},"content":{"rendered":"

A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> won another WNBA title in 2025, her third, and her second MVP. Both are accolades she also achieved prior to Caitlin Clark<\/a> bum rushing the league in 2024 and shifting the culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People think The A\u2019ja Wilson is jealous of Caitlin Clark? The A\u2019ja Wilson who\u2019s accomplished all this before 30\u2026? Yeah those are casual fans who clearly don\u2019t know hoops, are bias, and can\u2019t give credit where credit is due. <\/p>\n

This is Goat status, simple.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc10 https:\/\/t.co\/2LvbPhOE18<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fEqMXA28lC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \ud83d\udc51Queen Sofia\ud83d\udc51 (@srzballer) December 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

WNBA Didn\u2019t Start With Caitlin Clark <\/p>\n

While Wilson is a record-breaker and the best player in the \u201cW\u201d, Clark is clearly its most popular player. At times, especially during her Rookie of the Year season in 2024, Clark\u2019s presence was considered a shadow covering up the accomplishments of other WNBA players of past and present because of the way her brand crossed over, brought in an untapped male fanbase and became the focus of media attention that started and stopped with news about the sensation out of Iowa. <\/p>\n

RELATED: \u2018Don\u2019t Like White Girls Dominating Their Game\u2019 | Sophie Cunningham Is Willing To Push Divisive WNBA Narratives Caitlin Clark Won\u2019t<\/a><\/p>\n

Wilson and her fans have been quick to remind people that the WNBA didn\u2019t start when Clark arrived, although some consider it to be that way as new collective bargaining negotiations suggest there will be strong spikes in salary across the league with max deals finally surpassing $1M.<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja Wilson Says Obsession With Caitlin Clark Has Overshadowed WNBA Foundational Pioneers\u00a0<\/p>\n

After being honored as TIME magazine\u2019s 2025 Athlete of the Year, an accolade Clark won just a year prior, Wilson said that the narrative following Clark\u2019s arrival felt like years of foundational work were suddenly erased. She blamed Clark\u2019s rambunctious and protective fan base more than CC herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wilson says it bothers her when people assert as absolute fact that Clark single-handedly saved the WNBA. As if the league was sputtering and in danger of folding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a hit at me, because I\u2019m going to do me regardless,\u201d Wilson declared. \u201cI\u2019m going to win this MVP, I\u2019ll win a gold medal, y\u2019all can\u2019t shake my resume.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was more so, let\u2019s not lose the recipe. Let\u2019s not lose the history. It was erased for a minute. And I don\u2019t like that. Because we have tons of women that have been through the grimiest of grimy things to get the league where it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson Challenges Notion That Clark Helped WNBA Explode On Her Own\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wilson, who is dating Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo<\/a>,\u00a0challenged the notion that Clark \u2014 as suggested by teammate Sophie Cunningham on her podcast \u2014 was the sole catalyst for the league\u2019s significant value explosion after her 2024 debut. Wilson was already in the midst of a potential GOAT career, and she did have motion before Clark\u2019s entry helped shine a light on the rest of the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The problem is that the light wasn\u2019t always a positive one when discussing Black players not named CC or not a member of the Indiana Fever.\u00a0Something the magazine article pointed out. <\/p>\n

\u201cClark\u2019s emergence created a toxic, racially divisive narrative that she was almost singularly responsible for salvaging a league whose foundation had been built by a mostly Black player base\u2026<\/p>\n

WNBA Ratings Reported Spiked 5 % Despite Caitlin Clark Playing Just 13 Games <\/p>\n

After joining the league as the No. 1 pick in 2018, emerged as one of the generational players in league history. Her Nike deal, signature shoe and growing endorsement list has elevated her to the face of an expansion franchise on the brink of dynasty status. Don\u2019t forget her Olympic gold medal and tournament MVP in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wilson doesn\u2019t dispute Clark\u2019s influence but her narrative is that the WNBA was already growing and the arrival of that 2024 class was perfect timing as huge transitions in the league\u2019s future loomed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This entire women\u2019s basketball explosion says Wilson just underscores how WNBA players \u201ccontinue to rise to the occasion. She says the past two seasons have been proof that that increased visibility was always the key ingredient needed for the WNBA to get embraced by mainstream sports fans<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe have been invested in each other and our craft for a very long time,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just like, they\u2019re going to pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

WNBA Growth Was Also Influenced By Angel Reese, Paige Beuckers & Others<\/p>\n

Wilson also has a problem with the overblown narrative about Clark\u2019s influence, reminding everyone that it was a collective effort by several young guns, including Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Sonia Cintron and Paige Beuckers, who helped introduce the league to fresh faces and drove ratings, attendance and social media engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" (Photo by Melissa Tamez\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Proof of Wilson\u2019s claims were further cemented as Clark played just 13 games this season and missed the entire playoffs with lower body injuries, however, ratings and social media viewership continues to climb as ESPN\u2019s regular-season and postseason ratings increased by five to six percent per game.<\/p>\n

Social media was split as usual on the story. Some accused the magazine of creating drama by inserting Clark\u2019s name into the copy when Wilson never mentioned the Fever star\u2019s name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGotta say the blame goes mostly on TIME here by mentioning Caitlin for engagement and it\u2019s working for them,\u201d said one fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u2019ja didn\u2019t say any of this. It\u2019s the magazine that shoehorned Clark into the conversation,\u201d another fan said, defending the Vegas Aces star.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u2019ja can\u2019t stop talking about her\u2026 but Time bring up CC. Rage bait\u201d said another fan dismissing any notion that Wilson is concerned with Clark.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aja Wilson plays in a league that’s never generated a profit in thirty years. Did anybody know who Aja Wilson was before Caitlin Clark came in the broken WNBA? This is nuts. https:\/\/t.co\/3MZCpIY923<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Byrnes (@AlwaysByrnes) December 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

On the flip side, anytime Caitlin Clark fans hear anything negative benign spun about their WNBA savior they strike back with a vengeance. The fact that Wilson is the undisputed Queen of the WNBA makes her an even larger target.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWilson can\u2019t help herself. She is so unlikable,\u201d said one Clark fan on X.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s jealous ain\u2019t no way around it,\u201d another fan suggested.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s such a terrible person,\u201d a third hater added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Clark Clan will never share some of the credit for the WNBA being in the financial position it\u2019s reportedly in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Said one fan on X: \u201cnobody paid attention at all but a few small peeps till cc arrived then they all lost it cause a straight white girl was kicking all their asses every one of them her first year, the records she secured that first year prove everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven that 5% \u201cgrowth\u201d was THE Caitlin Clark Effect,<\/a>\u201d added another netizen. \u201cAnything good that has come to the WNBA over the past two seasons has been THE CC Effect. Science. The evidence is everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

A third fan bluntly said, \u201cIf CC walks away after the new pay structure goes thru the league will collapse. I hope she goes pro and tries to tackle golf. Her money is already made\u201d<\/p>\n

Caitlin Clark vs. A\u2019ja Wilson Is Matchup Fans Are Dying To See In 2026<\/p>\n

Caitlin Clark indeed has the bag and a bright future regardless of what kind of salaries the WNBA is dispensing. With expansion teams coming, a new $1B media rights deal to take them through the next decade and increased viewership, Clark will remain at the forefront.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" WNBA MVP A\u2019ja Wilson suggests that Caitlin Clark\u2019s overwhelming and lopsided media coverage distorted some of the WNBA\u2019s rich history and the pioneers who helped get the league to this point. (Photo by Steph Chambers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old who averaged 16.5 points, five rebounds and eight assists per game in 2025, always tries to avoid questions that set her up to belittle her colleagues or could possibly fuel any racial flames. She doesn\u2019t claim sole responsibility for the WNBA\u2019s rise and doesn\u2019t hesitate to give praise to tube pioneers such as recently-retired Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker,<\/a> former Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings <\/a>or any of her contemporaries.<\/p>\n