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Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson already has enough accolades to be considered a basketball Hall of Famer. However, those achievements didn't come without some heartbreaking losses, too.
At 28 years old, Wilson's resume is littered with honors that many players don't accomplish so early in their careers or ever. She's entering her eighth season in the WNBA and already has two championships, three WNBA MVP trophies, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year titles and six WNBA All-Star nods. (Wilson also has a Finals MVP trophy and two Olympic gold medals, but who's counting?)
Still, reaching the pinnacle of success hasn't come without failures, and it's those losses that have helped build Wilson into the megastar she is today. So, it makes perfect sense that she would join other athletes of meteoric fame, like Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić, in Gatorade's latest campaign, "Lose More. Win More", which fully leans into the highs and lows of being a sports superstar."When it came to this partnership, I knew I wanted to be a part of it only because it's been the goal. It's been the goal of fueling me, and a lot of other athletes that are on this roster as well," Wilson told For The Win. " So, it was a perfect partner, and I'm excited. And I also love the campaigns that they do. It really kind of brings me back to the old Gatorade commercials that you'll see when the sweat would change colors to get you fired up."
Ahead of the 2025 WNBA season, For The Win sat down with Wilson to discuss what loss changed her career, advice for new WNBA star Paige Bueckers and what it means to see so many people wearing her Nike signature A'One shoes.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
I feel like the biggest thing ― it tells the story of every athlete that has been at the top. They see the glitz and the glamour of holding the trophies and the confetti falling, but it's: what do we lose to get to that point? What do we go through to make it there?
And at one point, I'm like, all right, I kind of knew, the losing, it really may be hard. But when you think about the loss and overcoming those adversities and overcoming those L's and how do you bounce back, it gets you back right to the top.
I love this campaign because I feel like it's athletes on this roster, and everyone in life ― we've all been through it. So, you gotta lose to win more.
One name I would give myself is a winner.
I do win. I gotta say that. I have to say that I do win, whether it's just small ones or big wins. I do say that I'm a winner. But with that, I know that I still have a lot of growth to do. I know there's still gonna be some L's in there. But at the end of the day, I can always say that I'm a winner and I'm gonna carry myself as one.FTW: How do you grade yourself? What criteria do you use?I give myself up until All-Star break because before All-Star break, I feel like I'm just figuring it out. I'm seeing teams, I'm seeing what we look like in our locker room. But by the time All-Star break is over, I should have a good gist of what needs to be done and how it's gonna get us there. That's where I really start my grading point for myself and for my team as well.
I would have to say going back-to-back. It's hard doing that. It really is. That's why we don't see a lot of it. I don't want that one to get lost.
A loss that changed me was losing in the bubble our first time to the Finals. It was gut-wrenching to me, and it's something that I didn't want my teammates to go through. That was a loss, and I'm like, "Hmm. Please give me a big win on the other side." And it [happened].
Ask questions and be a sponge ... I know she's gonna have vets on [her team] that's gonna help her navigate the league ... I feel like Paige seems like a very great person that's gonna adapt and adjust at her own way, and everyone else fall in line.I'm very, very excited to see her career, but yeah, I would just have to say just be a sponge, ask questions. You're in one of the best leagues in the world. You're gonna get some great answers if you just continue to ask questions.
How advanced she is as a freshman. Like the ability to just know when to take the right shots at the right time ― without hesitating ― and having that thought, like, "Is it me?" She's like, "No. It is gonna be me. And if it's not my bad, but it's gonna be me."
That right there speaks volumes, and I was blown away by watching her play. So yes, Sarah. You got it.
Well, I have an amazing stylist. And he really kind of put together everything. I had actually had that suit for 3 years. It's just in my closet, but I never really knew how to wear it, when to wear it. But we just kind of brought it all together.
Yeah, that was it. I had to root for [South Carolina] Gamecocks in Tampa, and I feel like that was spot on.
Insane. Like, pinch me moment. I couldn't believe it. Even seeing them when I was surprising them, some of them already had the shoes on, and I'm like, "All right, well, the cat's out the bag." It's extremely just joyful for me to share this experience. To see young girls, to see teams, to see boys ― everybody in between ― wearing my shoe, particularly on a big stage like the Final Four when they didn't have to.
They chose to wear those shoes, and that just makes my heart smile, because me and my team at Nike and everyone around me worked so hard to, one, keep that shoe under wraps, but two, make sure that we get the vision across. And we executed it. So to see people love it as much as I love it, it's a beautiful thing to see.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: A'ja Wilson on Paige Bueckers advice, Nike A'One shoes
Continue reading...
At 28 years old, Wilson's resume is littered with honors that many players don't accomplish so early in their careers or ever. She's entering her eighth season in the WNBA and already has two championships, three WNBA MVP trophies, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year titles and six WNBA All-Star nods. (Wilson also has a Finals MVP trophy and two Olympic gold medals, but who's counting?)
Still, reaching the pinnacle of success hasn't come without failures, and it's those losses that have helped build Wilson into the megastar she is today. So, it makes perfect sense that she would join other athletes of meteoric fame, like Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić, in Gatorade's latest campaign, "Lose More. Win More", which fully leans into the highs and lows of being a sports superstar."When it came to this partnership, I knew I wanted to be a part of it only because it's been the goal. It's been the goal of fueling me, and a lot of other athletes that are on this roster as well," Wilson told For The Win. " So, it was a perfect partner, and I'm excited. And I also love the campaigns that they do. It really kind of brings me back to the old Gatorade commercials that you'll see when the sweat would change colors to get you fired up."
Ahead of the 2025 WNBA season, For The Win sat down with Wilson to discuss what loss changed her career, advice for new WNBA star Paige Bueckers and what it means to see so many people wearing her Nike signature A'One shoes.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What does "Lose more. Win more" mean to you?
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I feel like the biggest thing ― it tells the story of every athlete that has been at the top. They see the glitz and the glamour of holding the trophies and the confetti falling, but it's: what do we lose to get to that point? What do we go through to make it there?
And at one point, I'm like, all right, I kind of knew, the losing, it really may be hard. But when you think about the loss and overcoming those adversities and overcoming those L's and how do you bounce back, it gets you back right to the top.
I love this campaign because I feel like it's athletes on this roster, and everyone in life ― we've all been through it. So, you gotta lose to win more.
What other name does A'ja Wilson call herself, if not legendary?
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One name I would give myself is a winner.
I do win. I gotta say that. I have to say that I do win, whether it's just small ones or big wins. I do say that I'm a winner. But with that, I know that I still have a lot of growth to do. I know there's still gonna be some L's in there. But at the end of the day, I can always say that I'm a winner and I'm gonna carry myself as one.FTW: How do you grade yourself? What criteria do you use?I give myself up until All-Star break because before All-Star break, I feel like I'm just figuring it out. I'm seeing teams, I'm seeing what we look like in our locker room. But by the time All-Star break is over, I should have a good gist of what needs to be done and how it's gonna get us there. That's where I really start my grading point for myself and for my team as well.
What's one achievement in your WNBA career you don't want to forget and one loss that changed you?
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I would have to say going back-to-back. It's hard doing that. It really is. That's why we don't see a lot of it. I don't want that one to get lost.
A loss that changed me was losing in the bubble our first time to the Finals. It was gut-wrenching to me, and it's something that I didn't want my teammates to go through. That was a loss, and I'm like, "Hmm. Please give me a big win on the other side." And it [happened].
What advice would you give No. 1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers?
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Ask questions and be a sponge ... I know she's gonna have vets on [her team] that's gonna help her navigate the league ... I feel like Paige seems like a very great person that's gonna adapt and adjust at her own way, and everyone else fall in line.I'm very, very excited to see her career, but yeah, I would just have to say just be a sponge, ask questions. You're in one of the best leagues in the world. You're gonna get some great answers if you just continue to ask questions.
You previously praised UConn freshman Sarah Strong. What impressed you about her game?
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How advanced she is as a freshman. Like the ability to just know when to take the right shots at the right time ― without hesitating ― and having that thought, like, "Is it me?" She's like, "No. It is gonna be me. And if it's not my bad, but it's gonna be me."
That right there speaks volumes, and I was blown away by watching her play. So yes, Sarah. You got it.
Tell us about this fabulous red suit you recently wore during the women's Final Four.
Well, I have an amazing stylist. And he really kind of put together everything. I had actually had that suit for 3 years. It's just in my closet, but I never really knew how to wear it, when to wear it. But we just kind of brought it all together.
Yeah, that was it. I had to root for [South Carolina] Gamecocks in Tampa, and I feel like that was spot on.
What did it mean to you to see the Texas Longhorns women's basketball team wear your Nike signature shoes?
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Insane. Like, pinch me moment. I couldn't believe it. Even seeing them when I was surprising them, some of them already had the shoes on, and I'm like, "All right, well, the cat's out the bag." It's extremely just joyful for me to share this experience. To see young girls, to see teams, to see boys ― everybody in between ― wearing my shoe, particularly on a big stage like the Final Four when they didn't have to.
They chose to wear those shoes, and that just makes my heart smile, because me and my team at Nike and everyone around me worked so hard to, one, keep that shoe under wraps, but two, make sure that we get the vision across. And we executed it. So to see people love it as much as I love it, it's a beautiful thing to see.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: A'ja Wilson on Paige Bueckers advice, Nike A'One shoes
Continue reading...
