A'ja Wilson Reveals Message Tom Brady Gave to Aces Before Season Opener

The seven-time Super Bowl winner knew exactly what message to give the reigning WNBA champions.
Oct 18, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates after winning the WNBA title.
Oct 18, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates after winning the WNBA title. / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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Before the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces' opening game on Tuesday night, minority owner and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady paid a visit to the locker room and gave the team an influential pep talk.

Aces center A'ja Wilson detailed the advice the future NFL Hall of Famer gave to the back-to-back champs ahead of the game. As someone who felt pressure to win every title, Brady knew exactly what message to give the team.

"The banner's going to always be there, so you don't have to try to defend that, just go and do what you've been doing and execute that," Wilson said. "I feel like that message in itself made the night for me because I feel we get so caught up in 'Oh my God, we got to three-peat, we gotta do this.' It's like, that banner's going to be up there forever. My ring's going to be in my trophy case forever. Let me focus on getting better, and then that's when everything else flows."

It must've been the perfect message across the team as the Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 89–80 in their season debut. Tuesday also marked their banner and ring ceremony.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.