On Friday night WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson helped the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces stave off elimination in their semifinal matchup with the New York Liberty.
Wilson, who became just the second unanimous MVP, joining former Houston Comets superstar Cynthia Cooper, and went for 19 points, 14 rebounds and three assists in the 95-81 win in Michelob Ultra Arena in Sin City, forcing a Game 4.
Wilson, whose work ethic and leadership have helped make her the league’s best player, described in an Oct. 3 ESPN feature why she works so hard.
She credits her work ethic to being a Black woman in America.
“I mean for us, as Black women, we grew up, a lot of time, with our parents telling us, ‘You got to work 10 times as hard just to get a foot in the door, let alone stand out.’ I felt that far more this year than ever,” Wilson said.
Back when I was at ESPN and in charge of developing The Undefeated, I almost named the project “Twice as Hard.” I have to credit Marie Donahue for pushing for The Undefeated as the website title. Otherwise, our title would have basically screamed, “Hey, we’re victims.” pic.twitter.com/xOBtE0fanx
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) October 4, 2024
A’ja Wilson Feels Overshadowed By Caitlin Clark
Sounds like the three-time MVP is insinuating that in many ways the media and fans’ infatuation with rookie Caitlin Clark (Caucasian female) often overshadowed career years by Wilson and other WNBA players. While it’s not like Clark didn’t earn or deserve all the attention, it definitely cast a shadow over anyone else in the league doing great things.
The 28-year-old Wilson was one of those players who set many records as well, and, considering what she accomplished, she feels she was shortchanged by the media.
Jason Whitlock Calls Cap On A’ja Wilson Playing Victim
As he does often, Jason Whitlock, a longtime sports analyst who’s made a living by making shocking takes, especially as pertain to race, discussed Wilson’s interview Friday on his “Fearless” show on Blaze TV, offering a rebuttal to Wilson’s comments about having to work much harder.
“A’ja Wilson, who’s maybe 30 years old, maybe, she didn’t grow up in a time when you had to be 10 times as good to get half the credit or an equal amount of credit,” Whitlock said. “And she doesn’t even contend that. What she’s contending is that her parents poisoned her brain with bad information and made her feel like, ‘Oh my god, the world is out to get you and despite your effort, you’re only gonna get half the acclaim and credit that you deserve.’ That’s a myth that her parents put in her head. And we need to stop putting that myth in our kids’ heads.”
Whitlock, who is a 57-year-old Black man, explained that he got the same messaging from his own parents.
“And I’m talking about, even for me, when my parents — well-intentioned — when the told me that, when they repeated to me what was told to them — which was true to them about them and their generation — it was not true about me and my generation,” he continued. “And it damn sure isn’t true about A’ja Wilson and her generation. We’re poisoning the mind of young people. We’re telling them, ‘Prepare yourself. We’re gonna let you out of this cocoon, and you’re going to be a victim.’”
Whitlock isn’t in a position to criticize how A’ja Wilson’s parents motivated or enlightened her as a child. He also doesn’t know her personal experiences that have led to her current view on things.
Wilson Looking To Lead Aces Into History Books
As the Aces look to three-peat — which would be just the second time it’s happened in league history, and first time since Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson led the Houston Comets to the league’s first four championships — it’ll be an uphill task trailing the Liberty 2-1 after Friday’s do-or-die Game 3 win, but if there’s any team that can overcome an 0-2 hole and win three in a row to advance it’s the Aces.
And they just so happen to be led by the best player in the league in Wilson, who exudes great confidence, work ethic and leadership.
