On Wednesday, after A’ja Wilson broke the WNBA single-season scoring record, her teammate, Alysha Clark, could barely keep it together as she spoke about who Wilson is as a person.
Wilson’s ginormous night got the attention of some pretty incredible people, including Tom Brady and LeBron James. Brady, James, and even Bam Adebayo tweeted about how special A’ja is and how she deserves to be WNBA MVP. But Clark’s comments during an Aces postgame presser were probably the best of the night.
Alysha was asked what makes A’ja such a great teammate off the court, and in a very touching moment, she held back tears as she answered. Here’s part of what she shared with the media (See the tweet and the 4:09 mark of the clip below):
“Kelsey [Plum] said it the other night, she’s a phenomenal human being…I’ve been around a lot of amazing players, and the one thing that sticks out when I look at…the post players…that one piece — that selflessness — like, yeah, she is a superstar…Don’t get it twisted. She is a superstar. But you would never know it being in her presence.”
“She makes you feel welcome. She makes you feel seen and heard…But what I think what isn’t talked about enough is her humility. The way that people play on her name night in and night out — she shows up every day with a smile on her face…”
“The crown is heavy, but she shows up daily and pours into those around her. And I don’t think people understand how special that is for a person, for your franchise player, for your superstar — for your leader — to be able to do on a consistent basis…”
Truly A'One.@alysha_clark on @_ajawilson22 as a teammate. pic.twitter.com/3BoeqtD8Xj
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 12, 2024
After her heartfelt and vulnerable comments about A’ja, Alysha tweeted that the MVP frontrunner deserved to have her flowers now.
She deserves her flowers now. Not later. What’s she’s doing is special…and what makes it even better is SHE is special. I love you big big @_ajawilson22💜 https://t.co/YMjoASzHhv
— Alysha Clark (@Alysha_Clark) September 12, 2024