WNBA's A'ja Wilson Named Time's 2025 Athlete of the Year After Historic Season

Time magazine named the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson as its Athlete of the Year for 2025.

Wilson powered the Aces to a third WNBA title in four years and became the first player in league history to win four MVPs. She led the WNBA in scoring (23.4) and blocks (2.3) and was second to the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese in rebounding (10.2).

The 29-year-old was already on an all-time legend-type trajectory. In 2025, she entered into yet another tier. Fans may be watching the greatest player to step onto a WNBA court.

Her 21.4 career points per game are the most all time, and her rebounding average (9.3) ranks third. Player efficiency rating is a flawed metric that can be deceiving as to a player's value, but it's worth noting Wilson's 28.9 career PER is also the highest in the WNBA. Nobody in the NBA has maintained that level.

"When you've collected everything, that's Thanos," Wilson told Time's Sean Gregory while referring to the Marvel supervillain. "And this year, I collected everything. I don't really talk much s--t. I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it. This was my biggest moment of doing it, because no one's ever done what I've done. And I think people really needed to understand that."

The seven-time All-Star didn't avoid the legacy conversation, either.

"I've been the GOAT since 1996 in my house," she said. "I think I'm on my way there. I'm making it real hard for people to chase after me. That's what it means to be the GOAT."

In addition to the four MVPs and three titles, Wilson is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, the 2018 Rookie of the Year, a two-time Finals MVP and a six-time All-WNBA honoree.

It's tough to truly put a player's career in perspective while they're still playing. And in Wilson's case, she's still in her prime. But the stats and accolades all speak for themselves.