Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard sent a hilarious message to A'ja Wilson after the Las Vegas Aces center hinted at attempting a dunk in the 2025 WNBA season. The reigning MVP's comments came after she was asked about the idea of lowering the rims in the W so players could dunk the ball more easily.
During Thursday's edition of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart's "Roommates Show," Wilson rejected that idea, saying she’d rather work on her hops than see the rims lowered.
Howard reacted to Wilson's words on X (formerly Twitter), jokingly asking for mercy from the star center.
"@_ajawilson22 please don’t dunk on us 😭," Howard tweeted on Friday.
The two-time WNBA champion spoke out in defense of her peers, opposing the proposal to lower the rims and highlighting how such a change would impact the rest of the shots in the game.
"What is it gonna do? Honestly, if you wanted, what it really is gonna do for us?" Wilson asked. "Ok well then, that could be like my offseason — I would much rather gear my offseason to like, 'Let's focus on this jumping' versus lowering like an inch. That could change all of our shots. Do y'all not understand that?"
A'ja Wilson also floated the idea of dunking next season even without lowered rims.
"I would much rather just like, 'Ok, let's get in the gym, let's work.' You never know, next year I might dunk," she added.
The idea of lowering the rim has been a contentious topic among basketball fans and athletes alike. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has previously advocated for the change, sparking debates with WNBA players like Angel Reese and Candace Parker, who oppose the notion.
A'ja Wilson explains why the WNBA has the toughest schedule
A'ja Wilson made statements that caught the attention of fans. Besides hinting at a possible dunk next season, the center discussed the WNBA schedule. Wilson agreed with Josh Hart when he asked if the WNBA had the toughest schedule among athletes, pointing to how rookies are thrown into the league right after leaving college.
"Yeah, for sure. For us, our rookie orientation is not anything too crazy. It's like a day before the draft and you're sitting and talking, but, like, we don't get to go workout for teams, we don't have a combine."
A'ja Wilson said she had no time between the draft, returning to college to graduate and playing her first preseason game. She added that the situation has been happening for a while, as WNBA rookies are forced to adapt to the league on the fly.