A’ja Wilson was on the “Podcast P with Paul George” episode that dropped on Monday, and among the highlights was her stating that she wants to be a Top 3 player of all time when it’s all said and done.
“When you’re talking GOATS of the W, I need my name to be up there, at least Top 3,” Wilson said. “Like that’s my goal. … When you’re thinking of women’s basketball, when you’re thinking of the W I want my name to be on it. So whatever it takes, whatever it needs to get there, whether it’s the rings, whether it’s the accolades individually like I want to be up there in that kind of conversation. I need that in order for me to sleep at night.”
Hella powerful words from A’ja. Props to her for speaking her truth; this drive to be the best is a part of who she is and it’s a beautiful thing.
“Podcast P with Paul George” is presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment; new episodes come out every Monday. You can follow the show on social media here.
In the episode, Wilson also tells an interesting story about being a “girly girl” and not wanting to sweat when she first started playing basketball. Her dad played overseas in Sweden for 10 years and encouraged her to play. When she saw how much her teammates enjoyed winning, she got hooked, and the rest is history. Wilson became a star high school player (the No. 1 Hoop Gurlz recruit in the class of 2014) and announced her decision to play at South Carolina on ESPN.
Wilson says the relationship Dawn Staley built with her was the reason she chose South Carolina over Tennessee. She was a Candace Parker fan and was even in the building when Parker’s jersey was retired by the Lady Vols, but she appreciated Staley’s investment in her.
Wilson also talks with George about her statue, saying that the most important thing about it is that it stands on a campus where her grandmother and father weren’t allowed to go because of their race.
Wilson also shares her take on the LeBron situation, saying, “I feel like this season was a lot. … So I think he just needs time to dissect it all and just really take it all in. But I don’t think he’s going to retire.”
And, of course, there is Aces talk.
Not all that surprisingly, Wilson is not keen on calling the Aces a superteam. Because no team wants to be seen that way; they just want to viewed as another group of players that is trying to build chemistry and work toward a championship.
“I don’t believe in superteams,” Wilson said. “I just feel like we’re all coming together with the equal goal and we’re just trying to reach that goal. That doesn’t make us super. … We’re talented and skilled, yes. But when it comes to a superteam, nah because I feel like that’s where the pressure come in. If we lose a game they’re like ‘oh this super team sucks’ and it’s like well no one told y’all to label us as a superteam. I feel like everyone on the outside talks about a superteam more than we do.”
You can view the full episode below:
And here’s a bonus clip of Wilson and George creating their all-time WNBA starting five:
