TIME Athlete of the Year A’ja Wilson spoke about her title-filled year, her adolescent aversion to basketball, and the influence she hopes to have on the world after her career during an interview with CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King at the “A Year in TIME” event in New York on Dec. 11.
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The annual event featured interviews with TIME’s other 2025 Leaders of the Year—YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and actor Leonardo DiCaprio—and a performance from the breakout group KPop Demon Hunters.
When Wilson found out she was named TIME’s Athlete of the Year, her “jaw dropped,” she said. She reflected on her year of accolades and records: She became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win a championship, claim the scoring title, and be named Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. King called it her “bad-assery.” For Wilson, scoring TIME’s recognition was “the cherry on top.”
As a kid, Wilson recalled not wanting to play basketball. “I was not a girly that liked to sweat,” she said, but due to her father’s influence, basketball was all around her, and she soon got the itch for winning. “Now, I sweat for a living, and it pays my bills.”
Wilson said she knows she doesn’t want to be a coach when her career as a player ends. But she understands what it takes to win and what is needed from a team to hoist a championship trophy.
“One rotten apple can tear a locker room apart,” she said, describing moments she had to bring her team together. Before Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA championship this October, sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in the finals and securing their third title in four years, tensions were high, she recalled, but she knew, “It’s our time to do this.”
Wilson especially understands the importance of mental health, something the two-time Olympic gold medalist has spoken about openly.
“Some days I’m in the mountaintops and some days I’m in the valleys,” she said, but having the right support system is key. “If we can find that healthy balance and understand that it’s OK to feel that way and it’s OK to not be OK, I think we can take it to the next level.”
The WNBA is currently negotiating a collective bargaining agreement for the 2025 season, and Wilson emphasized the importance of equal treatment for female athletes.
“The biggest thing we want is money. … We just want fair compensation,” she said, adding that all teams deserve practice facilities and that these fights will set the stage for future generations of WNBA players.
She’s also an advocate off the court. Through her foundation, Wilson hosts an Unapologetic Girls Summit, where roughly 100 young girls gather to learn about adulthood and financial literacy, among other topics designed to give them tools to succeed.
Being a strong role model is a priority for Wilson, who says she sources motivation in her career from the inspiration she might provide for young athletes.
LeBron James, TIME’s 2020 Athlete of the Year, told TIME for its profile of Wilson that he remembers his 11-year-old daughter watching her on TV: “A’ja Wilson is the definition of female Black excellence, and I am so grateful she is giving my daughter the kind of inspiration I got from Michael Jordan and Ken Griffey Jr.”
“It’s the reason why I do what I do and why I love what I do,” Wilson said of her impact on younger generations. “I always say, if you can see her, you can be her. … If a young girl can look at the WNBA or me and say, ‘I just want to do that,’ … that’s the real trophy.”
A Year in TIME was presented by Rolex, American Family Insurance, Serum Institute of India, La Croix, and The Macallan.
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