A’ja Wilson, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA Champion, and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, has been named the 2024 USA Basketball 5×5 Female Athlete of the Year. She received this honor following her leadership in guiding the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks will retire A’ja Wilson’s jersey
In receiving her third such honor, Wilson joins an exclusive group of athletes who have been awarded the USA Basketball accolade at least three times, including Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi. She initially received the award following standout performances at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Cup and the 2022 FIBA World Cup.
In France, Wilson averaged a team-high 18.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, both of which rank second in the USA’s all-time Olympic record books. She also led the U.S. team in blocks (2.7) and steals (1.5) per game, becoming one of only two players in USA history—alongside Cheryl Miller in 1984—to lead the American team in four major statistical categories at an Olympic Games.
Furthermore, Wilson, the third-highest scorer overall in the Games, contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds in the United States’ narrow 67-66 victory over the host nation, France.
In 2024, during her seventh WNBA season, Wilson was awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor for the third time, placing her among an elite group of players, including Lauren Jackson, Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes, who have each won the award three times.
Wilson averaged 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.58 blocks, and 1.79 steals in 34.4 minutes across 38 games. She led the WNBA in both points and blocks, ranked second in rebounds, fifth in steals, and fourth in minutes, achieving career highs in all five per-game categories. Additionally, Wilson ranked seventh in field goal percentage at .518 and 17th in free throw percentage at .844.
Wilson, standing at 6-foot-4, broke the WNBA single-season scoring average record previously held by Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi in 2006 (25.3 points per game). She also achieved new single-season records with 1,021 total points and 451 total rebounds. Additionally, she is the first player in WNBA history to lead the league in total points, rebounds, and blocks (98) in a single season.
During the 2024 regular season, Wilson was honored as the Kia WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month four times (May, June, July, and September) and received the Western Conference Player of the Week award on six occasions (Weeks 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12). A six-time WNBA All-Star, Wilson also represented the USA National Team in the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game and subsequently contributed to the United States earning the gold medal.
