A'Ja Wilson: Dawn Staley 'checked off every single box that I wanted to be'

A’ja Wilson has developed into arguably the top women’s basketball player in the world. She credits a couple of Hall of Famers for helping her get to this point.

During her time at South Carolina, Wilson played for a legendary player and coach in Dawn Staley. She is now currently playing for Aces coach Becky Hammon, who was a six-time all-star.

Wilson recently sat down with Boardroom for a cover story and shared what she has learned from those two.

“Man, I am super blessed, oh so lucky, to be able to have two phenomenal women. They are players’ coaches to the root,” A’Ja Wilson said. “Their honesty, their willingness to be so open with us, to get the best, is something that goes such a long way with me, because I’m that type of player that just tell me what you need out of me and I guarantee that I will do it times 10.

“I’m not with the sugarcoating, please don’t kiss my ass. Because that’s not needed. I don’t grow in those spaces. They allow me to be coached and I love that.”

A’ja Wilson played at South Carolina before Dawn Staley turned the Gamecocks into one of the top programs in the country.

South Carolina had never been to a Final Four before Wilson came along. She led them there twice, including winning the 2017 national championship. She now has a statue outside of South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena, showing what she means to the program.

However, Wilson says that Staley and the Gamecocks also did a lot for her.

“Coach Staley was someone that has checked off every single box that I wanted to be. And to have a black woman in that space, that’s not really wanted, taking over, is something that I’m like, ‘I need her to guide me, particularly in my collegiate years,’” Wilson said.

“I got lucky to be coached by Bill Laimbeer. He kind of held me down in my beginning stage, then here comes Becky Hammon that really kind of allowed me to blossom. She kind of re-plotted the plant. She was like, ‘No, now you can really grow. There’s space for you to grow. Now let’s build you up to the MVP caliber I know you have inside.’ So Becky, I’m so, so blessed every time I see her with a clipboard. That’s my girl.”

Wilson has won two WNBA titles, two WNBA MVPs and a WNBA Finals MVP. In college, she won an NCAA title, an NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award and a Naismith College Player of the Year award.