A'ja Wilson has some things to say about Caitlin Clark.
Upon being named Time's Athlete of the Year for 2025, Wilson granted a lengthy interview to the magazine, and she was asked to recall the furor that followed Clark's omission from the United States national team in advance of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris last year.
Clark had gained national fame during her NCAA career at Iowa, where she broke Pete Maravich's career record for points scored. Clark-mania entered the WNBA when the Indiana Fever selected the explosive guard first overall in the 2024 draft. Fans called for then-head coach Cheryl Reeve to take Clark to Paris, believing her shooting and playmaking were missing ingredients on a team already filled with gold medal winners.
Wilson remembers the debate. It bothered her before and after the US beat France to win the gold medal.
That's because Wilson, now a four-time WNBA MVP and a two-time gold medallist, thought some Clark fans too easily wanted to wipe away the accomplishments of players who paved the way for Clark to become a star.
“It wasn’t a hit at me, because I’m going to do me regardless,” Wilson told Time. “I’m going to win this MVP, I’ll win a gold medal, y’all can’t shake my résumé. It was more so, let’s not lose the recipe. Let’s not lose the history. It was erased for a minute. And I don’t like that. Because we have tons of women that have been through the grimiest of grimy things to get the league where it is today.”
The WNBA has come a long way in Clark's two professional seasons. In part because of the exposure Clark provides, the WNBA is set to expand to 18 teams by decade's end, and the league is capturing $250 million in expansion fees for new franchises.
But the WNBA and the WNBPA are still struggling to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. The 2020 CBA expires on Jan. 9, and little traction has been made as the players seek a larger slice of team- and league-generated revenue.
Wilson, at least, is prepared for the possibility of a work stoppage, which threatens to halt the momentum generated, in part, by Clark's arrival in the league.
"All of us are going to be at the table," Wilson said on the state of negotiations. "And we’re not moving until we get exactly what we want."
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