{"id":606723,"date":"2026-04-15T23:11:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/606723\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T23:11:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:11:53","slug":"las-vegas-aces-star-aja-wilson-signs-biggest-deal-in-wnba-history-at-5-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/606723\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson signs biggest deal in WNBA history at $5 million"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new collective bargaining agreement struck between the WNBA and its players paved the way for the biggest stars in women\u2019s basketball to get their biggest paydays yet.<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> wasted no time in securing her lucrative contract with the Las Vegas Aces<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson is a four-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces. She was the first overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Aces after leading the University of South Carolina Gamecocks to an NCAA championship. See her basketball career from South Carolina to Las Vegas to Team USA.<\/p>\n

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1 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson is a four-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces. She was the first overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Aces after leading the University of South Carolina Gamecocks to an NCAA championship. See her basketball career from South Carolina to Las Vegas to Team USA.<\/p>\n

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2 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks shoots against Brianna Turner #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half during the NCAA Women’s Final Four Semifinal at Amalie Arena on April 5, 2015 in Tampa, Florida.<\/p>\n

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3 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks goes up against Brianna Turner #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half during the NCAA Women’s Final Four Semifinal at Amalie Arena on April 5, 2015 in Tampa, Florida.<\/p>\n

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4 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts to their 65 to 66 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the NCAA Women’s Final Four Semifinal at Amalie Arena on April 5, 2015 in Tampa, Florida.<\/p>\n

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5 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Teaira McCowan #15 of the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs battles for the tip-off with A’ja Wilson #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Women’s Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

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6 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson #22 and head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks hold the NCAA trophy and celebrates with their team after winning the championship game against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs of the 2017 NCAA Women’s Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

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7 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks wipes away her tears as her coach Dawn Staley is interviewed after their win over the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Women’s Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

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8 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Jonquel Jones #35 of Team WNBA looks to pass against Aja Wilson #9 of the USA Women’s National Team during the 2021 WNBA All-Star Game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on July 14, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Team WNBA defeated the USA Women’s National Team 93-85.<\/p>\n

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9 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

USA’s A’ja Wilson dives for the ball in the women’s preliminary round group B basketball match between Nigeria and USA during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on July 27, 2021.<\/p>\n

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10 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’Ja Wilson #9 of Team United States drives to the basket against Team Japan during the first half of the Women’s Basketball final game on day sixteen of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games at Saitama Super Arena on Aug. 8, 2021 in Saitama, Japan.<\/p>\n

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11 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

A’Ja Wilson #9 of Team United States shoots against Yuki Miyazawa #52 of Team Japan during the first half of the Women’s Basketball final game on day sixteen of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games at Saitama Super Arena on Aug. 8, 2021, in Saitama, Japan.<\/p>\n

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12 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Aces forward Aja Wilson (22) shoots the ball against the Connecticut Sun during the second quarter in game one of the 2022 WNBA Finals at Michelob Ultra Arena.<\/p>\n

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13 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Aces forward Aja Wilson (22) shoots the ball against Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (25) during the first quarter in game two of the 2022 WNBA Finals at Michelob Ultra Arena.<\/p>\n

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14 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Team Wilson frontcourt Cheyenne Parker (32) and frontcourt Aja Wilson (22) celebrate after scoring against Team Stewart during the second half of the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game at Michelob Ultra Arena.<\/p>\n

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15 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Portrait of Las Vegas Aces center A\u2019ja Wilson. Wilson is a two-time NBA champion and will be part of the USA National Basketball Team competing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Photographed at the Ace’s training complex in Henderson, NV.<\/p>\n

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16 \/ 16<\/p>\n

See A’ja Wilson’s victories as a basketball star from college, the WNBA to the Olympics<\/p>\n

Gold medalist A’Ja Wilson #9 of Team United States poses for a photo during the Women’s basketball medal ceremony on day sixteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France.<\/p>\n

The four-time WNBA MVP signed the richest deal in league history on Wednesday, agreeing to a three-year supermax contract worth $5 million. The details of the contract, which is fully guaranteed, were first reported by ESPN<\/a>. The deal was negotiated by Jade-Li English of the Klutch Sports Group.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u2019ja is truly one of one, who has led this franchise to where it is today,\u201d Aces general manager Nikki Fargas said in a statement. \u201cNot only has she catapulted into the history books and surpassed almost every record in existence, but she does so with the utmost confidence, authenticity and grace. We look forward to continuing to see her thrive in an Aces uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since being drafted by Las Vegas No. 1 overall in 2018 out of South Carolina \u2014 where she led coach Dawn Staley\u2019s Gamecocks to their first national championship in 2017 \u2014 Wilson has become one of the WNBA\u2019s signature stars. She\u2019s the only player in league history to win MVP four times and won\u2019t turn 30 until this August.<\/p>\n

Wilson has powered coach Becky Hammon\u2019s Aces to three WNBA championships and twice won the Finals MVP award. She\u2019s also a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a seven-time All-Star and a six-time All-WNBA selection.<\/p>\n

1 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 2: The Las Vegas Aces’ Jewell Loyd (24) and A’ja Wilson (22) celebrate after scoring against the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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1 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 2: The Las Vegas Aces’ Jewell Loyd (24) and A’ja Wilson (22) celebrate after scoring against the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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2 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 2: The Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) shoots the ball against the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas.<\/p>\n

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3 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 2: The Phoenix Mercury’s Kahleah Copper (2) drives the ball past Las Vegas Aces guards Jackie Young (0) and Dana Evans (11).<\/p>\n

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4 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 2: Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) drives the ball against Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally.<\/p>\n

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5 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 2: Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) shoots a layup against Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22).<\/p>\n

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6 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) celebrates with teammates after the Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 89-86, at Michelob Ultra Arena.<\/p>\n

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7 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces battles for the ball with Alyssa Thomas #25 and Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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8 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Chelsea Gray (12) and A’ja Wilson (22) of the Las Vegas Aces grab a rebound past DeWanna Bonner (14) and Satou Sabally (0) of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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9 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Alyssa Thomas (25) of the Phoenix Mercury shoots the ball against Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

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10 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) looks to tip a loose ball away from Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb (33).<\/p>\n

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11 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith (3) shoots against Phoenix Mercury forward Natasha Mack (4).<\/p>\n

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12 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: A’ja Wilson (22) of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates after making a basket against the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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13 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Satou Sabally (0) of the Phoenix Mercury shoots the ball against Megan Gustafson (17) of the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

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14 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Satou Sabally (0) of the Phoenix Mercury looks to shoot the ball against NaLyssa Smith (3) of the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

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15 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: NaLyssa Smith (3) of the Las Vegas Aces reacts during the third quarter.<\/p>\n

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16 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Chelsea Gray (12) of the Las Vegas Aces reacts against the Phoenix Mercury during the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

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17 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Alyssa Thomas (25) of the Phoenix Mercury drives to the basket against Jackie Young (0) of the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

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18 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Alyssa Thomas (25) of the Phoenix Mercury shoots the ball against Jackie Young (0) of the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

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19 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) dribbles against Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2).<\/p>\n

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20 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) drives against Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2).<\/p>\n

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21 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Kahleah Copper (2) of the Phoenix Mercury celebrates after her 3-point basket.<\/p>\n

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22 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Head coach Nate Tibbetts of the Phoenix Mercury looks on during the first quarter.<\/p>\n

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23 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Maddy Westbeld of the Chicago Sky (left) and Rae Burrell of the Los Angeles Sparks look on.<\/p>\n

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24 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Jackie Young (0) of the Las Vegas Aces reacts in front of Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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25 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon looks on.<\/p>\n

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26 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Dana Evans of the Las Vegas Aces, shoots the ball between Monique Akoa Makani and Natasha Mack of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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27 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces drives to the basket against Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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28 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury grabs a rebound against the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

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29 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces shoots the ball against Monique Akoa Makani of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

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30 \/ 30<\/p>\n

The best photos as Aces, Mercury meet in 2025 WNBA Finals<\/p>\n

Game 1: A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces grabs a rebound against Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-4 forward from Columbia, South Carolina, has led the WNBA in scoring twice and blocks five times. Wilson has averaged a double-double in each of the last two seasons for the Aces. She has averaged 21.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.8% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point range and 82.1% from the free throw line in her career. Her points per game mark is the best by a WNBA player in a career.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Wilson also owns two Olympic gold medals and two FIBA World Cup titles with Team USA.<\/p>\n

In the Aces\u2019 statement on her record signing, Wilson simply said, \u201cYKWTFGO.\u201d That\u2019s an acronym that stands for \u201cYou Know What The (expletive) Goin’ On.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA richest contract: A’ja Wilson signs $5 million deal to stay with Las Vegas Aces<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new collective bargaining agreement struck between the WNBA and its players paved the way for the biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[4662,49,48,9963,1483,3460,82,630,47720,4501],"class_list":{"0":"post-606723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-aja-wilson","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-collective-bargaining-agreement","12":"tag-las-vegas","13":"tag-las-vegas-aces","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-wnba","16":"tag-wnba-championships","17":"tag-womens-basketball"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606723","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=606723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}