After leading her team to two titles, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson may be humble when asked if she should be in the WNBA's GOAT debate. It's understandable for a 28-year-old to be cautious about claiming that status midway through her career. However, Wilson is on that trajectory with her numerous accolades since joining the WNBA.
Standing at 6'4", the Las Vegas Aces power forward was the 2018 Rookie of the Year, has won two MVPs, Defensive Player of the Year honors, a five-time All-Star, and four-time All-WNBA honoree in just six seasons.
The 2023 season saw her truly ascend, averaging 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks, and leading her team to back-to-back championships even without Candace Parker and, eventually, Chelsea Gray. Despite all this, the WNBA star still maintains that the former Tennessee star remains her GOAT.
"When you're talking about a GOAT, Candace is my GOAT and will forever be," Wilson exclaimed on an episode of "All The Smoke." "It was just truly amazing to be her teammate, not even just a fangirl because I'm like, all right, you're my teammate, and we are in the locker room together, and we were good."
Candace is a legend
Parker has officially ended her career in the WNBA after 16 incredible seasons. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she announced her retirement and exited the game with a resume many consider the greatest in women's basketball.
The future Hall of Famer burst onto the scene straight out of the University of Tennessee, becoming the best rookie and arguably the best player in the league in her first year. A former Defensive Player of the Year, she won her third championship last year in her only season with the Las Vegas Aces.
Another Aces star, Kelsey Plum , continued the same theme of Parker's legacy when the three-time WNBA Champion first joined the Aces last year.
"She's a gamer; I mean, you can't teach that, you can't teach that competitive fire and that experience," Plum said on "Women Hooping." "We need someone that's going to come in and be able to gel with our group, and she has that IQ, and you can't throw just anyone into that mix and expect that to work seamlessly."
She wasn't wrong, as the Aces won their second straight title that season.
When news of the former guard's retirement broke, Plum joined Wilson in declaring the seven-time WNBA All-Star a GOAT.
Related: Kobe Bryant on why Jerry Buss picked him over Shaq in 2004: "You got to bet on the horse that you know is obsessive about what they do"
A Role model to other WNBA stars?
Parker is revered as an iconic and humble role model by young women's basketball players today. On a high note, she retired from the WNBA, leaving the game in a better place than when she first entered the league.
The former Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky power forward takes immense pride in positively influencing girls aspiring to follow in her footsteps, whether on the hardwood, in the broadcast studio, or in any other field they choose to pursue. And it's one of the reasons why players like Wilson see her as a GOAT.
"But it was just like 13-year old A'ja saying what, you were my screensaver, I went to Tennessee to see your Jersey retirement, and now, you're feeding me information and telling me how I can continue to grow this game," Wilson continued. "And it's funny because when she started, I was like, you know, we can take this league over, right, and she was like, right, let's see."
Related: "She wanted to be the best" - Shaquille O'Neal explained why he admires Candace Parker so much
Most Popular
Comments / 0