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Reigning WNBA MVP A’Ja Wilson has said that she believes WNBA athletes have the “toughest schedule” of any athletes. The Las Vegas Aces star and Olympics Gold Medal winner made the comments on Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s Roommates Show podcast.
Wilson, who won consecutive WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023 before helping lead the Team USA Women’s Olympic Basketball team to a Gold Medal at this year’s Summer Games in Paris, detailed her own personal experience of transitioning from college to the pros while explaining why she believe’s the WNBA calendar is the “toughest.”
It should be noted that the question was asked by New York Knicks forward Josh Hart, who didn’t seem to have any qualms with what Wilson was saying.
“Yeah, for sure,” A’ja Wilson replied when asked on the Roommates Show whether ‘WNBA players have the toughest schedule.’ Josh Hart specifically capped his question by asking, “Do you feel like you guys have the most strenuous careers?”
The crux of Wilson’s argument largely seemed to be around the transition from college to the pros and the added game time of having the Olympics, neither of which are really arguments in favor of WNBA players having the “toughest schedule” of ANY athletes.
“I went in, I got drafted, I literally did training camp and I came back to college just to walk to graduate, and then I had to go play my first preseason game. I remember Jackie [Young] was like, ‘I had to get my draft dress in a matter of a day.’ There’s no way one of the biggest nights of my life I have to be rushed. It’s insane, I would have to say our schedule is pretty crazy. And for us, we have six Olympians this year, so that’s like half our roster gone, while other teams may have their whole roster — they can go on vacation, they can rest,” Wilson said.
Forgetting about men’s sports, Wilson’s claim is undone even when comparing it to the Women’s Super League, the Premier League of women’s soccer. Their season begins in September and runs through May, plus international team obligations year-round. The 2024 WNBA season began on May 14 and concluded in late October — that’s a three month difference.
Wilson’s season concluded in October, there are no current Team USA Women’s Basketball games on the schedule, and the 2025 WNBA season doesn’t begin until April.
NBA players literally play twice the amount of games 💀 https://t.co/fKcbKjsSQP
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 22, 2024
The 28-year-old Wilson, who won the third MVP of her career this season, averaged a career high 26.9 points per game this season to go along with a career-high 11.9 rebounds per game.
