Speaker Profile

A'ja Wilson is a professional basketball player and one of the most dynamic and impactful women in sports. The 2023 Finals MVP, 3x WNBA MVP, 2x All-First Team, 6x WNBA All-Star, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, 2018 WNBA 1st Overall Draft pick, and 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year is the face of the WNBA and the back-to-back World Champion Las Vegas Aces, which she helped lead to their first title in franchise history. 

In her collegiate career, A'ja attended her hometown school, the University of South Carolina, and led the program to its first NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, in 2017. There, she was also the recipient of many individual accolades, such as the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award, three straight SEC Player of the Year awards, and first-team All-American for three consecutive seasons. During her senior season, A'ja swept all National Player of the Year awards (Wade, AP, Honda, USBWA, Wooden, and Naismith) as the best Women's College basketball player for 2018 and became the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina women's basketball history. Upon graduation, the school erected a monument in her honor.

Off the court, A'ja is an entrepreneur and author. She started Burnt Wax, a candle business inspired by how aromatherapy brought a sense of tranquility and calm during some of the most challenging times in her family's life and provided the energy boost that they needed to deal with everyday life. She published a book, “Dear Black Girls: How To Be True To You”, which quickly rose on the New York Times Best Sellers List. 

A'ja is also a big advocate for giving back, mentoring kids, and social justice. She also founded the A'ja Wilson Foundation with her parents, Roscoe and Eva Wilson. The AWF serves as a resource for children and families who struggle with Dyslexia along with working to shift the culture of students to prevent bullying. 

All these accolades landed A'ja among the 2025 TIME Women of the Year, 2024 Sports Illustrated 50 Most Influential Figures In Sports, 2024 Time100 Most Influential People, and Forbes 2021 30 Under 30 lists. A'ja loves spending time with her two dogs, Ace and Deuce, and staying active regarding her health and fitness. The generational talent who continues making history is an elite-level UNO and Board Game player who loves music, modeling, fashion, photography, watching movies, escape rooms, traveling, books, podcasts and "The Office."

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