A'ja Wilson Gets Brutally Honest on 'Dunking Narratives' About WNBA Players Dimming Spotlight on Athlete's Other Flashy Skills

A'ja Wilson spoke up on behalf of the entire WNBA community, sharing her frustration with the long-standing narratives about dunking and the criticism players face for supposedly not being entertaining enough.

During her appearance on First We Feast’s “Hot Ones,” Wilson addressed the fans who expected women to dunk. She explained that dunking, while having its entertainment value, simply is not a part of the women’s game.

“I mean, dunking is cool. Don't get me wrong,” Wilson said (timestamp 11:40 onwards). “I've seen people dunk a lot. I mean, it's cool, but maybe it's just not a part of our game, and I wish people could really understand that.”

A'ja Wilson also pointed out that when so much attention is placed on what women’s basketball does not include, it takes away from the elements that make their game special. She highlighted the incredible playmaking skills of her Las Vegas Aces teammate, Chelsea Gray, as an example, noting that her passing is just as exciting to watch.

“I wish they could really cherish the other things that we bring to the game that may be just as kind of flashy as dunking. I play with an amazing point guard in Chelsea Gray and her passes are some passes that I've never even seen before on any stage. But it could be the equivalent of the flashiness of dunking. So I wish people could get away from that. Stop talking about lowering rims, all that shenanigans and just kind of focus on like the craft that we have in our league right now.”

Even though A’ja Wilson can dunk herself, she is standing up for her peers who cannot. Hence, she urges fans to enjoy the WNBA for the excitement it already delivers.

A'ja Wilson isn’t part of elite list of in-game dunkers

A'ja Wilson has the ability to dunk. During her college and professional stints, she has often shown it off in practices and pre-game warmups. The surprising part is that she never actually dunked during the game in college, nor in the WNBA.

Only eight players in WNBA history have pulled off an in-game dunk. Brittney Griner leads the group with nearly 30 dunks. Liz Cambage, Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles and Lisa Leslie have each done it more than once. Whereas Jonquel Jones, Awak Kuier and Michelle Snow have managed it a single time.

A'ja Wilson has already built a legendary resume with multiple MVPs, championships and Finals MVPs. Dunking in a live game is one of the few achievements she has left to chase. It is definitely something she would aim to check off while she is still in her prime and has the explosiveness to make it happen.