USA Basketball star A’ja Wilson excited for the true Olympic experience in Paris

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France – USA Basketball star forward A’ja Wilson plans to attend Olympic track and field and gymnastics competitions when she has downtime during the 2024 Paris Olympics. During her quest for a second gold medal, her family and friends will be rooting for her in person.

Wilson and USA Basketball won a gold medal when the team played in the 2020 Tokyo Games, which were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic until July 23, 2021. Family members and fans weren’t allowed to attend games. All of that has changed now that the restrictions are gone.

“It sucked because obviously we did the opening ceremony and there was just no one there,” Wilson said recently. “Obviously, you would love to see your family and things like that. But at the same time, it’s business as usual. We had to go out there and take care of business. So, that’s what we’re going to do as well. I’m just glad that my family’s going to be there to support me now.

“I’m definitely going to other sports. Going to other events is huge. I really want to be there. [In 2021] It was like, I’m in the Olympics but I’m still watching it through a TV screen, which was weird. So, going to different events is definitely something that’s No. 1 on my list.”

Wilson is now the No.1 face when it comes to USA Basketball’s women’s team.

Since Wilson’s last Olympic appearance, she had led her Las Vegas Aces to championships in 2022 and 2023. The two-time WNBA MVP and six-time WNBA All-Star won an ESPY award for best athlete, women’s sports in July and is averaging 27.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals for the Aces this season.

“She always leads by example,” U.S. center Brittney Griner said. “She always puts in the hard work. She is going to do everything that is asked of her and beyond. When you have someone like that, it’s easy to follow behind them and come, show up and do what we need to do. She plays at such a high level. I’m happy for her.”

The USA Basketball women’s national team is widely expected to win an eighth-straight gold medal with a roster loaded with WNBA stars. The U.S. roster also includes five-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, Alyssa Thomas and Sabrina Ionescu, among others. The Americans debut Monday against Japan in group play.

“We’re going to go out there and do what we do,” Wilson said. “I love our locker room and who we have in it. We’re going to uphold the standards that has been going on for years now. We’re going for [our] eighth-straight. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The Olympics also give Wilson and her teammates an opportunity to grow their brand globally. Wilson currently has 1.1 million followers on Instagram, and the two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year’s book Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You is a New York Times bestseller. The 6-foot-4 forward is also one of four WNBA players with a signature shoe deal and her shoe will be released by Nike in 2025.

“It’s always a blessing to be an Olympian,” Wilson said. “I’ve been alongside USAB for a long time. So, to see my evolution of A’ja grow within USAB has been a blessing. There is a lot of honor and respect to being an Olympian and to play at the highest level under the biggest lights.”

Wilson is also looking forward to seeing two people in particular in France this time around: her parents, Roscoe and Eva Wilson.

“They didn’t get a chance to Tokyo, obviously, with COVID going on,” Wilson said. “So, just for them being in moment and their child being in the bright lights of the world … I remember sitting down with my parents and seeing [most-decorated Olympic gold medalist] Michael Phelps go for a hundredth of a second [on television]. That stuff are the moments that we shared.

“Now, for them to come over is a lot of fun. I’m going to have put AirTags on them because I don’t know where they are going to be.”