A’ja Wilson is a two-time WNBA Champion, three-time MVP, 2023 Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, six-time All-Star, four-time All-WNBA First Team member, WNBA Rookie of the Year, two-time Olympic Champion, one-time Olympic MVP, two-time World Cup Champion, one-time World Cup MVP, NCAA Champion, Naismith Women’s College Player of the year — and those are just the big awards.
Such a jam-packed trophy case was why it was notable that in 2024, Wilson recorded not just the best single-season performance of her career, but by any player in WNBA history. She scored 26.9 points per game to beat the previous record (Diana Taurasi’s 25.9, set in 2006). Along with those 26.9 points, Wilson also grabbed 11.9 rebounds per game (2nd in the WNBA) and had 2.6 blocks per game (1st) as well as 1.8 steals per game (4th) in 2024. She also set the record for most total points in a single regular season by a player, reaching 1,021 points in 38 games.
These achievements led to Wilson’s aforementioned third WNBA MVP award, a recognition that was widely believed to be hers as early as the midway point of the 2024 season.
Drafted No. 1 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft, Wilson has played for the Las Vegas Aces every year of her career, bringing the city its first WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. Notably, she also only played one overseas season in her professional career — in China after her rookie WNBA season in 2018-2019. Since then, Wilson has spent her offseason at home in the USA, working out, travelling, and participating in Team USA tournaments.
Now just 28 years old as she heads into her eighth WNBA season, Wilson has consistently gotten better each year. From 20.7 points per game in her rookie season to now averaging nearly 27, she’s a beacon of consistent growth, strength, physicality, and excellence on both sides of the basketball.
The question as she heads into the 2025 WNBA season is simple: Is it even possible for A’ja Wilson to continue to get better?
Averaging over 27 points per game or scoring more than her 1,201 total regular season points would be another instant guaranteed MVP award in 2025 — unless someone scores more (as if it’s that easy). She’ll also be trying to get the new-look Las Vegas Aces back to the WNBA Finals after they were eliminated in the semifinals last season during their quest for the three-peat.
If she continues to trend up like she has every other year, there is certainly a chance for her to beat her own record — it just seems like such an incredibly high standard to hold her to. Even if she is A’ja Wilson. Yet, it’s possible at just 28 going on 29 years old for her to continue to find new parts of her game to innovate and improve on. She doesn’t have to be at her physical peak yet. Wilson has demonstrated she has the talent and work ethic necessary to exceed any expectations already, so it’s possible she could do so once again.
Notably, 2025 is also Wilson’s last season under contract with the Aces, as she is one of the many stars who will become a free agent in 2026. This aligns with the expiration of the WNBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and these players will sign new contracts once the CBA is negotiated.
So, while Wilson is certainly beloved in Las Vegas, there is also the possibility this is her last season with the Aces. The team has already been through some changes this offseason, trading Kelsey Plum away to the LA Sparks in exchange for Jewell Loyd from the Seattle Storm. While most of the core outside of that is still intact, the Las Vegas bench will be a little different this year, too with both Kate Martin and Tiffany Hayes leaving for the Golden State Valkyries. Still, Wilson has proved to be a leader capable of steering the ship, no matter what the roster looks like around her.
Regardless of whether she breaks more records in 2025, or just stays steady at her best-of-all-time level from last season, it’s just exciting that we are about to see Wilson on the court again. She even has room to experience a dip in her performance in comparison to 2024 and still win an MVP award. After a long offseason where she did not play in any overseas league, Unrivaled, or Athletes Unlimited, it feels like forever since we’ve witnessed her excellence. She’ll have a chip on her shoulder after last season ended the way it did for her team as well.
So as the WNBA season creeps closer, opponents beware — A’ja Wilson has the potential to somehow be better than ever in 2025.