Basketball is not a sport, it's a way of life.

An A'ja Wilson appreciation letter

Warning: This article comes with instructions.

Before we begin, find somewhere quiet and cozy to sit—preferably a recliner or chaise lounge. If it’s late enough in your day—who am I kidding, even if it’s not—pour yourself a bourbon or perhaps a glass of wine. I want you comfortable. Once you’re in the prescribed position and condition, try to read this internally in Sam Elliott’s voice. We’re going to take you somewhere beautiful, a vista unseen and abundant with splendor. Look out upon the basketball landscape and appreciate the unique beauty it provides. Perhaps, somewhere off in the distance, you can spot the celebratory galloping of a GOAT or two. My, isn’t this beautiful?

Okay, hopefully now the mood has been set.

By the time you read this, I’m sure you are aware that A’ja Wilson has just won her third WNBA MVP award; and in doing so, she has become only the second WNBA player ever to be a unanimous decision (Swoopes, ’00). That means, at this very moment, we have players in both leagues who have just won their third MVP award in the last four seasons. In both cases, they are dominant centers who completely dictate the way the game is played, though they do so in very different manners. Nikola Jokić is mostly quiet, and seemingly bored—the veteran maestro who has conducted masterful symphonies so long that he is bereft of joy in the exercise. His brilliance construed through a somber resignation at performing his exquisite craft, while those in the audience weep at the greatness. Whereas Wilson is power rock—all primal screams and forceful ballads—performed with a virtuosity that is incongruent with our concepts of the seemingly strange bedfellows that are beauty and force. In both cases, you don’t need to enjoy the manner of exposition to appreciate the exceptionalism of the art. But we’ve talked enough about Jokić, and I’m not sure I can ever talk enough about A’ja; besides, it’s her day.

Considering she was a unanimous MVP decision and is the best defensive player in the league by a chasm, it feels a safe assumption that Wilson will win the Defensive Player of the Year award as well, which will be her third consecutive and second time winning it in the same season as the MVP (’22). Only four other players in WNBA history have achieved the double dip of MVP and DPOY in the same season — Sheryl Swoopes (’00, ’02), Lisa Leslie (’04), Lauren Jackson (’07), and Sylvia Fowles (’11). (It’s only happened three times in the NBA: Jordan in ’88, Olajuwon in ’94, and Antetokounmpo in ’20.) Wilson’s two-way dynamism means she imprints herself on nearly every possession of basketball in both directions. She’s like the seagulls from Finding Nemo—everything is hers. That’s not hyperbole, as Wilson may have just put together the best two-way season in the history of professional basketball, gender be damned (like in general though, not just in this case). And put away the claws, Jordan fans, not even MJ was capable of the statistical profile that A’ja just dropped. However, since it’s been a while that I’ve had an excuse to create a chart, let’s punctuate the point with some comparative statistics between Wilson’s year and Jordan’s ’88 season (I think these would be considered by most to be the best two-way seasons—at least in terms of accolades and statistical measures—in the history of both leagues).

The relative similarities between MJ and A’ja in terms of ranks amongst their peers reflect the type of wholesale dominance both players offered. While positional differences explain some of the disparities where rebounds and assists are concerned, A’ja simply has more impressive overall numbers in terms of holistic dominance of her league. Now, I don’t make this argument just because I enjoy rankling a cult of fandom (though it is a fun perk of the process), but rather to shine a brighter light on just how spectacular a player Wilson is.

Many of you know that I am an adamant Aces fan, and while in cases like Kierstan Bell or Kate Martin that may surely shade my objectivity, in the instance of Wilson, it affords me the privilege of watching a player perform her craft at its absolute apotheosis. Wilson has a game that is without flaws. Again, that may seem like hyperbole, but when you find her weakness, let me know. Actually, let’s go halfsies and sell it to the highest bidder, because there are 11 coaches dying to find out that information.

I have always been obsessed with the anecdotes surrounding the spectacle of what used to be the World’s Fair. (To wit, if you haven’t read the beautifully written Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, do so now.) The idea of traveling far and wide just to catch a glimpse of the splendorous spectacle of human achievement has always hooked my imagination. Yet, we now have modern technology as a means for conveyance of the very same constructs; hence, my efforts to have you settle into a place to enjoy some beauty. Right here, right now, we are being provided with a wonderful feat of human engineering that has heretofore never been seen. A’ja Wilson is a modern marvel, and we should all sit back, relax, and appreciate the beauty of what she is doing. I’m not ruining anything by telling you the White City burned down. All master works are destroyed by time at some point, as will be the records that A’ja is currently setting. But it’s the memory of greatness that truly matters, and I hope that all of us have been able to enrich a part of ourselves by taking in some of the memorable wonders that are being laid out before us.

Thank you A’ja for bringing the basketball world more beauty.