WILSON A'ja

General
BOND WITH COACH
Dawn Staley, who is head coach of the US women's basketball team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, was also her coach while she was studying at the University of South Carolina. "Coach Staley is my second mom. [She] is one powerful black woman. She really kind of paved the way for me and helped me find my voice and realise who I am. She showed me, 'Hey, you can shatter through those [glass] ceilings, you can crack them for the next generation', and that's how I've been living my adult life." (si.com, 19 May 2021; fivethirtyeight.com, 22 Sep 2020)

SC STATUE
In January 2021 a statue of her was unveiled at the University of South Carolina in recognition of her achievements in basketball and for being a catalyst for social change. "My grandmother couldn't even walk on this campus, she had to walk around. If she was here today to see her granddaughter has a statue where she once could not walk, it goes to show how you just plant seeds, and that's what it's all about. Change doesn't happen overnight. But little black girls can look at that statue and say, 'Wow'. I'm always going to be unapologetically me, and I hope those young black girls see the role models that are here in front of them." (sportscasting.com, 24 Jan 2021)

BUSINESS OWNER
She is the owner of Burnt Wax Candle Co which sells luxury candles. "My mom came over and told me that the number of candles in my house was absurd. She suggested I start my own company, and I was like, 'You know what? I can!'" (Instagram profile, 13 Jul 2021; si.com, 19 May 2021; instyle.com, 22 Jun 2021)

WNBA DRAFT
She was selected by Las Vegas Aces as the number one overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She also spent a season with the Shaanxi Red Wolves in the People's Republic of China in 2018/19. (wnba.com, 11 Jul 2021)