Note: in the voiceover, I have only included one video interview, from A’ja after she broke the 1000 point record.
People, it’s the second round of the WNBA playoffs! Time to watch some extraordinary basketball. As I wrote a few weeks ago, just because I haven’t been writing about the WNBA doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching it. I’ve been doing something I don’t do during the NBA season – watching casually, not following a team, turning off a game if it’s a blowout. I’ve spent most of my time with the Las Vegas Aces and the Minnesota Lynx, with a heavy dose of Chicago Sky and a sprinkling of Phoenix Mercury.
It was a great season with a multitude of storylines within and beyond the court. Obviously the fabulous rookie class, led by Angel Reese and Caitlin Clarke, both of whom wildly exceeded expectations. They visibly improved from game to game. They will be even stronger next year and will be breaking records for the foreseeable future.
Then there are the stories of three UConn alums as the leaders of their respective teams. (There are UConn players on every team in the WNBA). Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, the top team in the WNBA, has been willing her team to victory, showing uncharacteristic emotion on the court. Then Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx. Phee is having her best year in the W, winning Defensive Player of the Year and making it all look so very effortless. The Lynx make great teams look average and good teams look foolish. They are not a flashy team but they’ll have you down by 20 in a hurry with their unrelenting defense and efficient offense. And then there’s Diana Taurasi. 42 years old. Still a leader on her team. Often the leading scorer. Possibly retiring . She plays with the ferocity and enthusiasm of a 20 year old, but the knees of a 42 year old. The theme of the Phoenix Mercury has been “If This Is It” but it really feels as if this is it. Taurasi is an icon.
But then there’s the Aces. With A’ja. Who is in a totally different stratosphere than everyone else. The Aces ended the regular season in 4th place. Their defense can be erratic, their focus is sometimes lacking. But they are still the most electric, most flashy, most charisma-laden team in the WNBA. They are so filled with joy that their rookie Kate Martin (Caitlin Clarke’s teammate in Iowa), who rarely plays, has an avid fan base who call themselves the Martinis. Her fan base is due to how much the veterans hyped her up to their fans when Martin arrived. For a while Martin’s was the best selling jersey. Their team is fun - they celebrate together, they seem to be there for each other. Before every game a player dances, chosen by a look from Chelsea Gray which ends with a yell from A’ja.
They are playful, they tease each other relentlessly on social media and are often up to no good on the sidelines.
And they are led by A’ja Wilson, the best player in the W, by far. She has the most points, rebounds and blocks ever in a single season. She was the MVP of the Finals last year, the MVP of the Olympics this year and the unanimous MVP this year, her third season MVP. Last year, she was notably not the MVP and received a 4th place vote by a person who remains unknown, which was clearly fuel to her fire.
A’ja is an extraordinary leader. She is exuberant, she is vulnerable, she shows her emotions, she lifts up others in every moment. In any press conference, every time the spotlight is put on her accomplishments, she defers to her teammates. And her teammates change the conversation to highlight how much A’ja means to them. This is unusual and exceptional.
Here’s A’ja talking to her teammates after breaking the 1000 points record.
This one I have watched more than a few times. A’ja gets a record and gives the credit to her teammates while also being vulnerable enough to say what seems unimaginable to us - “Sometimes I wake up and hate being A’ja Wilson”. It seems as if she should be on the top of the world - Olympic gold, shoe deal, great team, great life. But accomplishments don’t keep people from the difficulty of life. And her ability to say that to her team and to say it in public – that changes people. That gives people the ability to admit that to themselves. It’s a great service to the world to be that grateful and that open about her life.
On a side note, I also love that she says several times “when I come to work”. For all of us fans, it can be easy to forget that this is a job. A job they may love. A job they might have dreamed of as a little kid, but a job, nonetheless. It is sheer entertainment for us, but for them, they might have the same struggles getting out of bed and going to work each day the way any of us do.
I digress. A’ja is a player unlike any other I currently know. It is not often that the superstar of the team is also the leader in the locker room and the person driving the culture and good vibes of the team. Do you want an NBA analogue? It’s like holding the qualities of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and the good vibes of Gary Payton II. Or on the Knicks, the performance of Jalen Brunson, the charisma of Josh Hart and whoever is their locker room leader. It’s exhausting to hold all those roles simultaneously, yet A’ja does it with grace and gratitude.
So last week, as you might expect by now, when she was notified of her unanimous MVP (which hadn’t happened since 1997, the first year of the league), she gave individual appreciations to every teammate which she delivered with the cameras rolling.
We live in the time of A’ja Wilson and she’s still on the front end of her career. What good news for us.
The playoffs continue on Sunday, with the Aces facing off against the Liberty, in a replay of last year’s finals at 12 PST, 3 EST. And since I know you’ll be watching, keep an eye on Jackie Young, a silent assassin, or the way Sydney Colson changes the dynamic every time she’s on the floor, or the no look passes of Chelsea Gray or the 3 point shooting of Alysha Clark or the dynamo Tiffany Hayes.
The Timeout Books: (books I read during the timeouts, halftimes and commercials)
I haven’t been reading during the timeouts because I was still watching from League Pass where you see what’s happening in the arena. I’ve been watching dance troupes and contortionists, dog tricks and kids playing basketball. But I’ll shout out A’ja Wilson’s book again, “Dear Black Girls”. Like everything she does, it is authentic and heartfelt.
A Game At A Time Playlist (the songs that pop in my head while writing this)
Did you think the song was gonna be Steely Dan’s A’ja? She was named after the song. Nope, Steely Dan never runs through my head unless it’s a really good cover.
Want to deep dive on the Aces? They have a 10 episode youtube series about this season, called Unbreakable