A'ja Wilson Explains Why Transition to WNBA Is Toughest in Sports
Las Vegas Aces superstar and 2024 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson made headlines on Thursday after it came out that like Caitlin Clark she turned down a contract offer to join the new Unrivaled women's basketball league.
But it was her appearance on the "Roommates Show" with New York Knicks players Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart that's really stealing attention on Thursday.
When asked whether WNBA players have the hardest schedule of any athletes, Wilson said, "Yeah, for sure... Our rookie orientation isn't anything too crazy — it's obviously a day before the [WNBA] Draft and you're sitting there and you're talking — but it's like, we don't get to go work out for teams, we don't have a combine.
"I went in, I got drafted, I literally did training camp, and then I came back to college just to walk, to graduate," Wilson added. "And then I had to go play my first preseason game... It's insane.
"So yeah, I would have to say our schedule is pretty crazy. And for [the Aces], we had six Olympians this year. So that's like half our roster gone. And other teams may have their whole roster, so they can train, they can go on vacation, they can rest. So it's a lot," she concluded.
A’ja Wilson believes WNBA players have the toughest schedule of any athletes
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 22, 2024
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Wilson is catching some heat in the comments from those who are asserting that the WNBA season is only five months long (which is significantly shorter than most other professional American sports), and therefore can't have the toughest schedule.
But her answer was more about the transition to the WNBA from college and other obstacles women's basketball players encounter — which there should be little debate about.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.