A'ja Wilson pens emotional note for grandmother who helped her grow up

Playing in her seventh WNBA season, A'ja Wilson continues to be the standard as she is having arguably her best year yet. Her production has never been more impressive as the two-time champion continues to improve upon her craft each season. However, she made sure to commemorate this day and her success with her late grandmother, Hattie Rakes.

Wilson's grandmother died in October 2016, and she has remained an influential figure for the Aces star in her basketball journey.

Today, A'ja Wilson wished her grandmother a happy birthday through a heartwarming post on Instagram.

"Happy Birthday to my sweet Angel," Wilson wrote. "Continue to guide me through it all!"

A'ja Wilson's emotional post for her grandmother

When Wilson captured back-to-back championships for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Hattie Rakes was no longer present to witness her granddaughter's achievements.

In an interview with Greenville Online's Matt Connolly in 20217, A'ja Wilson aimed to play her best and deliver championships to the university out of love and appreciation for her grandmother.

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The time A'ja Wilson commemorated her speech to grandmother in celebration of her South Carolina statue

During the unveiling of Wilson's South Carolina statue on January 19, 2021, the Aces superstar wanted to include a memory of her grandmother in her speech to signify the statue's importance.

"When she was a child, she could not even walk the grounds of the University of South Carolina." Wilson said. "She would have to walk around the campus just to get where she needed to go. If only she were here today to see the same grounds she had to walk around is the same grounds where that houses a statue of her granddaughter."

Before A'ja Wilson wrapped up her collegiate basketball career in South Carolina, she did not want to leave empty-handed or on a soft note. She wanted to honor the memory of her grandmother by delivering back-to-back titles and cementing her legacy as one of the best to do it within Gamecocks history.

Moreover, Fox Carolina Sports Director Beth Hoole shared a clip of Wilson's Aces teammates sharing a picture alongside the superstar's statue at the South Carolina Gamecocks' arena.

In that instance, it was another special moment that Wilson shared with her team.