3x MVP A'ja Wilson gets real on 'biggest regret' after being recognized with major honor

Few people would argue that A'ja Wilson is the best player on Earth. She's dominated the WNBA like few others since she entered the league in 2018, leading a new franchise like the Las Vegas Aces to consecutive championships.

Wilson was at her best in 2024. She set a new scoring record by averaging 26.9 points per game and becoming the first player to score 1,000 points in a single season. She also led the league in blocks per game (2.6) while averaging career-best in rebounds per game (11.9) and minutes per game (34.4). That was enough to run away with her third MVP award.

Unfortunately, that didn't help her team get past the eventual champions New York Liberty in the semifinals. In an interview with Time magazine, A'ja Wilson acknowledged how hard it was for her:

"Not getting the three-peat was hard. The regret is the hardest part that I've had to deal with in this offseason, because I'm like, 'What could I have done differently to get a different outcome?' When in reality, it just wasn't our time. And to see New York do it is like, Ah. But it's part of the game—it's the healthy balance that you’ve got to fight through," Wilson said.

A'ja Wilson wants to retire an Ace

Even so, it's not like A'ja Wilson won't have many more opportunities to keep making history in Las Vegas. At just 28 years old, she's right in her prime, and there's still plenty of basketball ahead of her. Wilson hopes that basketball will be played in Sin City.

When asked whether she could envision herself playing somewhere else, Wilson said that she would love to retire with the Aces:

"I don't want to (play somewhere else). That's more of a front-office question, but Vegas will forever be my home. I was their first draft pick ever of the franchise, so they really brought me in," she said. "If I could retire an Ace, I would love to. I don't see myself putting on any different jersey."

A'ja Wilson is on pace to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players in history. Despite not being around for that much, she's already won three WNBA MVPs, one WNBA Finals MVP, and two WNBA championships.

She's also earned six WNBA All-Star nods, five All-NBA selections and four WNBA All-Defensive selections. Additionally, Wilson has one scoring title, four WNBA blocks titles, and the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, not to mention all her accolades in college and with Team USA.