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A’ja Wilson Named TIME’s 2025 Athlete of the Year After Unmatched WNBA Season

Using the spotlight, Wilson pressed for a stronger player position in looming CBA talks over how the WNBA’s growing revenues are shared.

Overview

  • Wilson became the first WNBA or NBA player to win a championship, Finals MVP, regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, punctuated by a last-second winner as Las Vegas swept Phoenix.
  • Her year also included a scoring title, the fastest climb to 5,000 career points in WNBA history and a 16-game win streak that set up the Aces’ third title in four years.
  • In TIME’s interview, Wilson criticized Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s reported comments and vowed players would “work even harder” in negotiations ahead of the Jan. 9 CBA deadline.
  • She warned that narratives casting Caitlin Clark as the league’s lone savior “erased” history, noting TV viewership still rose roughly 5–6% per game this season while Clark missed most of the year.
  • Off the court, Wilson’s Nike A’One sold out and her memoir became a bestseller, as the WNBA pursues expansion and begins an 11‑year, $2.2 billion media deal that raises the stakes over revenue sharing.