A'ja Wilson uses one word to sum up the viral staring meme with $249,032 teammate

A'ja Wilson is many things to the WNBA – a two-time champion, three-time MVP, and two-time DPOY. However, her most viral contribution to women's basketball culture may have been slightly away from the court. It came with an iconic meme stare-off with Jewell Loyd, clocking major attention in mainstream popular culture.

Wilson and Jewell, then rivals, had their iconic staredown after the All-Star Celebrity Game. The shift in reaction from Jewell in particular as she shifted from a wide grin to the staredown upon seeing Wilson was hilarious, to say the least.

However, the WNBA landscape has changed drastically over the past couple of years. In what is widely considered the biggest trade in WNBA history, the Las Vegas Aces moved All-Star Kelsey Plum to acquire Jewell Loyd over the off-season. It pairs the two protagonists of the iconic meme for the upcoming NBA season.

The prospect of Jewell Loyd and A'ja Wilson, two of the finest scorers in women's basketball teaming up, has been the talk of the town. But their moment of meme-dom is yet to be forgotten and Wilson recalled the story behind the meme in extreme brevity recently.

"Salty" responded A'ja Wilson when asked what the meme means to her on a public appearance with Kate Martin.

A'ja Wilson's reaction tells a tale of how fierce the rivalry between the stars was, at the time. Wilson's Aces and Loyd's Storm had some intense games between them and even faced each other in the WNBA Finals in 2020, where Loyd and Co. swept Wilson's team.

With Loyd's $249,032 contract being moved to the Aces in the off-season, the Aces will be looking to cement themselves as a dynasty. The idea of Loyd and Wilson working in tandem with Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray bodes to set up a perfect redemption arc for the Aces.

The team is fresh off a semi-final loss to New York Liberty that denied them a three-peat.

A'ja Wilson also broke Jewell Loyd's single-season scoring record in 2024

The rivalry between Wilson and Loyd went beyond the rivalries between their teams with the two holding No.1 and No. 2 spots in the WNBA's all-time list for single-season scoring statistics.

A'ja Wilson, en route to her first scoring champion title in the WNBA in 2024, broke Jewell Loyd's record of 939 points that was set just a year prior. Wilson, in the process, also became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a single season.

A'ja Wilson after becoming the first player in WNBA history to record 1,000 points in the regular season - Source: Getty

With the two prolific scorers now set to team up, their chances of building on their individual records may be over. After all, regardless of the star power, there is only one basketball and one hoop to score on in a game.

The time has arrived to resolve all "salty" feelings and to unite as a force to take the Aces back to the zenith of women's basketball. Knowing their competitiveness, the rest of the league is in for a hard time.