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WNBA star A’ja Wilson was quick to reject the reasons the league has gained popularity over the past two years and the narrative that Caitlin Clark is the main driver.
The Indiana Fever star has certainly helped expand the popularity of the WNBA since entering the league in 2024.
The Fever’s regular season game against the Chicago Sky in May attracted an average of 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular season game in history. There’s no denying that Clark has played a huge role in those numbers.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the Commissioner’s Cup Final at Target Center on July 1, 2025. (Jesse Johnson/Image Images)
In an interview with Time magazine after being named the outlet’s player of the year, Wilson said she believed WNBA history was being “erased for a minute” amid Clark’s emergence.
“It wasn’t a blow to me because I’m going to do it anyway,” Wilson said. “I’m going to win this MVP. I’m going to win a gold medal. They can’t get rid of my resume. It was more so, let’s not lose the recipe. Let’s not lose the history. It was erased for a minute. And I don’t like that. Because we have tons of women who have gone through the dirtiest things to get the league to where it is today.”
The Las Vegas Aces center has made her opinion of Clark clear.
Wilson, in an interview with The Associated Press in 2024, agreed that there was a racial element to the sniper’s popularity.
“I think it’s a huge thing. I think a lot of people might say it’s not about black and white, but for me it is,” Wilson said. “It’s really because you can be great at who you are as a black woman, but maybe that’s something people don’t want to see.
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson shoots a free throw during the first half of Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Image Images)
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“They don’t see it as marketable, so no matter how hard I work. No matter what we all do as black women, we’re still going to be swept under the rug. That’s why my blood boils when people say it’s not about race, because it is.”
He then addressed the issue of racial double standards in a separate interview with Time earlier this year. He talked about Clark talking about the supposed “privilege” he benefits from.
“I know [Clark] I got a lot of backlash for that because obviously we live in a world where they don’t want that, and it’s exhausting,” Wilson said in February. “But imagine dealing with that and then having to go out and play every night, having to constantly worry, ‘How are they going to demote my resume now?’ What else do I have to do to show how elitist and serious I take my job?’ But I also do it with love, passion and fun.
Las Vegas Aces center A’Ja Wilson celebrates during the 2025 WNBA Championship Parade at Toshiba Plaza on Oct. 17, 2025. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)
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“A lot of people don’t want to see me at the top, and that’s fine, but I’ll be there because I worked until the end to get there.”
