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Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was named the "2025 Athlete of the Year" by Time Magazine, announced on Wednesday. Wilson had a productive year and beat out some of the top athletes around the globe. However, not everyone agrees with her winning the award.
According to NBA analyst Jason Whitlock, LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani should've won instead of the WNBA star. Whitlock said Ohtani led the Dodgers to the World Series win. He argued that the Japanese sensation generated more views and attention compared to when Wilson led the Aces to the WNBA Finals.
On Wednesday's episode of his show, "Fearless," Whitlock mentioned five athletes who he believed deserved the award more than the four-time MVP.
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“When I was thinking of the legitimate candidates for athletes in 2025, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Myles Garrett, Matt Stafford, Scottie Scheffler won two majors and would likely be the golfer of the year,” Whitlock said (Timestamp: 55:37).
Whitlock also said that Wilson wouldn't have been considered for the award if it weren't for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
“This bending over backwards and pandering to women and pandering to the WNBA,” he added. “Without Caitlin Clark, everybody knows no way in hell A’ja Wilson sniffs this award.”
He also challenges what Wilson's greatest accomplishment in the WNBA is. According to him, the Aces star's most notable achievement is "destroying" Clark.
In the 2025 season, A'ja Wilson led the Aces to a 30-14 record. She also played a significant role in securing the championship over the Phoenix Mercury. The star forward was named the regular-season MVP, the Finals MVP and the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
On top of that, Wilson was named in the All-WNBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team.
A'ja Wilson compared her accomplishments to Thanos
This year, A'ja Wilson did not stop bagging awards. The WNBA star has had a productive year and could arguably be one of the GOATs of the league once she's done. In an interview with Time, she's locked in on carving her path to being one of the greatest.
“I think I’m on my way there,” Wilson said. “I’m making it real hard for people to chase after me. That’s what it means to be the GOAT.”
She even compared herself to Marvel Comics villain Thanos in the way she collects awards.
“When you’ve collected everything, that’s Thanos,” the seven-time All-Star said. “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.”
A'ja Wilson is just 29 and could do a lot more in her WNBA career.
