Let's Build A Case For A'ja Wilson As The WNBA's GOAT

These days, A’ja Wilson’s name is getting thrown around more frequently in the WNBA GOAT discussion. Is there any merit to this, or has recency bias overcome fans while they watch the ongoing WNBA Finals?

Like any other GOAT case, there are arguments in favor of and against the Las Vegas Aces star as the greatest player to ever compete in the WNBA. Let’s build a case and see if it holds up.

A good place to start would be feats that only Wilson has accomplished. The 29-year-old competitor is playing in her eighth season in the W, which means that her story in the league is presumably not ending any time soon. Still, Wilson has secured her place in history through a number of unprecedented achievements.

For starters, Wilson has won more WNBA MVP awards than any player in league history. Prior to this season, the 6-foot-4 forward had been locked in a tie with a trio of three-time MVPs: Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Lauren Jackson. Last month, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert (with an assist from Wilson’s boyfriend, Bam Adebayo) made it official when she handed Wilson her fourth MVP trophy after an Aces practice session.

Wilson’s resume also includes a number of scoring records. These include most points scored in a season (1,021 points in the 2024 campaign) and most 40-point games in a WNBA career (four). By no means, however, is the Aces franchise player just an offensive threat. Aside from seven All-Star selections and five All-WNBA nods, Wilson is also a five-time member of the WNBA All-Defensive team, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and a five-time leader in shot blocks.

The reigning MVP’s list of accomplishments is an impressive haul. However, her track record of team success allows critics to poke holes in her GOAT case.

The WNBA championship, of course, is the ultimate goal of every player aspiring for greatness in the league. It’s hard to say that the well-decorated Wilson has fallen short of anything, but the reality is, she has just two WNBA rings on her hand at the moment. In comparison, her Aces teammate Chelsea Gray has already beaten her to three WNBA titles.

Wilson, in fact, has some more work to do if she wants to eventually catch up with the league’s four-time champions. Six iconic names (including Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Tina Thompson) are currently looking down on Wilson as they stand on a higher pedestal reserved for multiple-time winners.

Interestingly, the winningest champion in the history of the WNBA is Rebekkah Brunson. The defensive specialist won one title with the Sacramento Monarchs and four championships with the Minnesota Lynx. While Brunson was never as prominent as her teammate Moore or any of the other aforementioned icons, her quintet of WNBA titles is a goal worth pursuing by today’s players.

So, does Wilson deserve to be called the WNBA’s GOAT? The answer is: She has a good, solid case for this distinction, but she has quite a long way to go before she can put the debate to rest. 

Winning her third WNBA title this Saturday, however, would allow Wilson to take long strides towards the title of greatest WNBA player of all time.