Former NBA Star Lou Williams Claims A'ja Wilson Is Face of WNBA Over Caitlin Clark
When it comes to assessing who the face of the WNBA is, there are really only two players that a logical argument can be made for.
These two players are Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson and Indiana Fever sensation (and 2024 Time Athlete of the Year) Caitlin Clark.
The arguments for each player are clear. For Wilson, she was the 2024 WNBA MVP, has won WNBA MVP in three of the past five seasons, won two WNBA Championships, and set the single-season WNBA scoring record last season. She's the league's best player, in other words.
But Clark is unquestionably the league's biggest superstar, which is proven by any metric you might use to assess superstardom.
Therefore, the Wilson vs. Clark argument for the WNBA's face comes down to whether you value skill or superstardom (although both players have both skill and superstardom).
Former NBA star Lou Williams took a clear stance on FanDuel's "Run It Back" TV show on Thursday by saying, "I still think [the face of the WNBA] belongs to A'ja Wilson," when asked whether Clark is the face of the WNBA.
"A'ja has done a tremendous job of being a champion, being an MVP, doing all of these things. And now her visibility has gone up. You're starting to see her in commercials," he continued. "I still feel like it's A'ja Wilson, but you give Caitlin Clark credit. What she has been able to accomplish in her rookie year, and the eyes she has brought to the WNBA."
He later added of some Clark fans, "I think some of these people are here for the wrong reasons and I don't think they stay around to see the tremendous career that she's gonna put together. Is she the absolute face of the WNBA? She's one of them, for sure... but I think that still belongs to A'ja Wilson."
Caitlin Clark is NOT the face of the WNBA despite being the league's most viewed player in all 50 states 🤯
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 12, 2024
"That (title) still belongs to A'ja Wilson." - Lou Williams
📺 https://t.co/HqTaY6FRAE@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/BzGhauYWC9
This take will surely incite some debate.
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.