{"id":617461,"date":"2026-05-01T15:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/617461\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T15:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:24:08","slug":"aja-wilson-on-the-2026-wnba-season-bonding-with-her-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/617461\/","title":{"rendered":"A’ja Wilson On The 2026 WNBA Season & Bonding With Her Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

To say that WNBA superstar A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> has had a busy offseason would be an understatement. After helping the Las Vegas Aces secure its third championship in four years \u2014 and simultaneously becoming the first player in league\u2019s history<\/a> to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year all in the same season \u2014 Wilson was named Time\u2019s 2025 Athlete of the Year<\/a>, earned a coveted spread in Vogue\u2019s April 2026 issue<\/a>, went on a world tour<\/a> (which included a stop at Paris Fashion Week<\/a>), met Beyonc\u00e9<\/a> while attending her first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, and signed a history-making three-year, $5 million supermax deal in mid-April.<\/p>\n

May, of course, will be no different for Wilson, who is gearing up for her ninth season with the Aces. \u201cI\u2019m just getting back into the swing of things,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m training, making sure that my body\u2019s right, changing my diet up a little bit. I\u2019m just really excited to play. I don\u2019t play in the offseason, so when I get on the court, I\u2019m like a kid in the candy store.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to releasing her second signature sneaker with Nike<\/a> and co-chairing the Met Gala<\/a> alongside celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Misty Copeland, Lisa, and Teyana Taylor, the 29-year-old, who loves to \u201cdive\u201d into a good DIY project, will be launching a partnership with Lowe\u2019s<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a full circle moment,\u201d says the 6-foot-4 center, who remembers picking out seeds at the store as a young girl with her mom, an avid gardener. Also starring Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the television commercial will premiere during the NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n

Below, Wilson talks about her next DIY project, her postgame cool-down routine, and how she bonds with her teammates off the court.<\/p>\n

Christian Petersen\/Getty Images Sport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Elite Daily: Are you working on any home improvement or DIY projects right now?<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja Wilson: If I had to pick a new DIY project, it would definitely have to be building a little she-shed \u2014 a space of my own, so I can get a little comfortable. It\u2019ll be decked out in pink. I love me some pink. I think that might be my next project. Or maybe a doghouse because my children \u2014 I have three dogs \u2014 need a space of their own instead of invading mine.<\/p>\n

ED: What are you looking forward to in the upcoming 2026 season?<\/p>\n

AW: I’m super excited to defend our championship. Hopefully, we can keep the trophy at home with my amazing teammates, but I’m also excited to get into our locker room and start planning our goals and checking them off our list.<\/p>\n

ED: How do the Aces keep the chemistry alive off the court? Do you have any fun team bonding moments?<\/p>\n

AW: I think we keep it fun off the court because we allow everyone to be their true selves at face value. We don’t really try to change many people. We meet you where you are, and we welcome you in that. And we do things that we feel like everyone loves. I love escape rooms, and I think that’s probably our biggest bond. It helped us build chemistry and get our wheels turning, which is pretty cool. We truly love each other.<\/p>\n

ED: Was there a teammate who surprised you by being insanely good at an escape room?<\/p>\n

AW: No, girl, they\u2019re all bad. It actually surprised me because we work so well on the court, but off the court \u2014 in escape rooms \u2014 it\u2019s brutal. But we get out. We get the job done.<\/p>\n

It actually surprised me because we work so well on the court, but off the court \u2014 in escape rooms \u2014 it\u2019s brutal.<\/p>\n

ED: What\u2019s your postgame cooldown routine look like?<\/p>\n

AW: Obviously, my legs are my moneymakers, so I’m definitely taking a dive into the cold tub and making sure that I’m getting everything that I need to recover them. And I enter using the Hyperice boots<\/a>, making sure that I can get some compression there. I love watching TV shows, too. Right now I’m watching Scandal, and I also have to watch Modern Family to balance it out. I feel like Scandal sometimes gets a little too crazy for me, and I love me a good Mitchell and Cam over here to settle the mood out. I love the Pritchetts as well. So it’s just a huge, huge balance that I have to help me through recovery.<\/p>\n

ED: Is this your first time watching Scandal?<\/p>\n

AW: Yes. I love it. I am a Gladiator, and I\u2019m not going to lie, I\u2019m Team Fitz.<\/p>\n

ED: What\u2019s your go-to postgame meal?<\/p>\n

AW: I love me a pasta. Alfredo, marinara, doesn\u2019t matter. Just a pasta.<\/p>\n

ED: Who is on your postgame playlist?<\/p>\n

AW: I\u2019m a Beyonc\u00e9 girly. I love me some Beyonc\u00e9. I can always listen to her. I love late \u201990s and early 2000s R&B to help me settle down and not get too crazy. That\u2019s kind of where I\u2019m at right now.<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja\u2019s Wellness Faves<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

ED: What are the go-to wellness products you love to use after a game?<\/p>\n

AW: I love my Gatorade. It\u2019s my best friend when it comes to making sure I replenish with the electrolytes that I need. I\u2019m constantly drinking water. I’m not a huge massage gun type of girly because it hurts a lot. The foam roller hurts, but it’s like that good type of hurt; depending on where you stand and where you lie, it’s kind of perfect. I love rolling out my feet with a tennis ball, and I have these things called yoga toes. It has an opportunity to stretch my feet and my toes.<\/p>\n

ED: How do you get your head right after losing a game?<\/p>\n

AW: I treat my losses just like my wins. I give myself a car ride home from the gym, either to my house or to the hotel, to really get it all out. But after that, I’m back watching Scandal, back watching Modern Family, eating some fruit, and I’m just calling it a day.<\/p>\n

ED: What\u2019s one piece of advice you\u2019ve gotten from a fellow athlete that\u2019s stuck with you?<\/p>\n

AW: I haven\u2019t gotten this advice from him directly, but [NBA legend] Tim Duncan has a quote: \u201cGood, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.\u201d That quote there, I\u2019m literally getting chills now, because it just hits me every single time. It always reminds me that there are levels to wins, levels to life. You have to continue working hard to get there.<\/p>\n

ED: What\u2019s your secret to a good night\u2019s sleep?<\/p>\n

AW: My Oura Ring. I don’t mess around with my Oura Ring. I got it on right now. I think that’s the secret to it because I want to make sure I perform well on my Oura Ring, so I make sure that I’m getting really good sleep. I’m going to sleep on time, and I’m staying asleep. That and some white noise if my mind’s going too crazy.<\/p>\n

ED: What are you manifesting for yourself right now?<\/p>\n

AW: Right now, I think I’ve been blessed. I’m in a great spot. I manifested the life that I’m living right now, so I’m letting that finish up before I start manifesting something else. I can’t keep God busy too much.<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n

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