The Unexpected Way A'ja Wilson Bonds With Her Teammates Off The Court

To say that WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson has had a busy offseason would be an understatement. After helping the Las Vegas Aces secure its third championship in four years — and simultaneously becoming the first player in league’s history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year all in the same season — Wilson was named Time’s 2025 Athlete of the Year, earned a coveted spread in Vogue’s April 2026 issue, went on a world tour (which included a stop at Paris Fashion Week), met Beyoncé while attending her first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, and signed a history-making three-year, $5 million supermax deal in mid-April.

May, of course, will be no different for Wilson, who is gearing up for her ninth season with the Aces. “I’m just getting back into the swing of things,” she says. “I’m training, making sure that my body’s right, changing my diet up a little bit. I’m just really excited to play. I don’t play in the offseason, so when I get on the court, I’m like a kid in the candy store.”

In addition to releasing her second signature sneaker with Nike and co-chairing the Met Gala alongside celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Misty Copeland, Lisa, and Teyana Taylor, the 29-year-old, who loves to “dive” into a good DIY project, will be launching a partnership with Lowe’s. “It’s a full circle moment,” says the 6-foot-4 center, who remembers picking out seeds at the store as a young girl with her mom, an avid gardener. Also starring Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the television commercial will premiere during the NBA playoffs.

Below, Wilson talks about her next DIY project, her postgame cool-down routine, and how she bonds with her teammates off the court.

Elite Daily: Are you working on any home improvement or DIY projects right now?

A’ja Wilson: If I had to pick a new DIY project, it would definitely have to be building a little she-shed — a space of my own, so I can get a little comfortable. It’ll be decked out in pink. I love me some pink. I think that might be my next project. Or maybe a doghouse because my children — I have three dogs — need a space of their own instead of invading mine.

ED: What are you looking forward to in the upcoming 2026 season?

AW: I'm super excited to defend our championship. Hopefully, we can keep the trophy at home with my amazing teammates, but I'm also excited to get into our locker room and start planning our goals and checking them off our list.

ED: How do the Aces keep the chemistry alive off the court? Do you have any fun team bonding moments?

AW: I think we keep it fun off the court because we allow everyone to be their true selves at face value. We don't really try to change many people. We meet you where you are, and we welcome you in that. And we do things that we feel like everyone loves. I love escape rooms, and I think that's probably our biggest bond. It helped us build chemistry and get our wheels turning, which is pretty cool. We truly love each other.

ED: Was there a teammate who surprised you by being insanely good at an escape room?

AW: No, girl, they’re all bad. It actually surprised me because we work so well on the court, but off the court — in escape rooms — it’s brutal. But we get out. We get the job done.

It actually surprised me because we work so well on the court, but off the court — in escape rooms — it’s brutal.

ED: What’s your postgame cooldown routine look like?

AW: Obviously, my legs are my moneymakers, so I'm definitely taking a dive into the cold tub and making sure that I'm getting everything that I need to recover them. And I enter using the Hyperice boots, making sure that I can get some compression there. I love watching TV shows, too. Right now I'm watching Scandal, and I also have to watch Modern Family to balance it out. I feel like Scandal sometimes gets a little too crazy for me, and I love me a good Mitchell and Cam over here to settle the mood out. I love the Pritchetts as well. So it's just a huge, huge balance that I have to help me through recovery.

ED: Is this your first time watching Scandal?

AW: Yes. I love it. I am a Gladiator, and I’m not going to lie, I’m Team Fitz.

ED: What’s your go-to postgame meal?

AW: I love me a pasta. Alfredo, marinara, doesn’t matter. Just a pasta.

ED: Who is on your postgame playlist?

AW: I’m a Beyoncé girly. I love me some Beyoncé. I can always listen to her. I love late ’90s and early 2000s R&B to help me settle down and not get too crazy. That’s kind of where I’m at right now.

ED: What are the go-to wellness products you love to use after a game?

AW: I love my Gatorade. It’s my best friend when it comes to making sure I replenish with the electrolytes that I need. I’m constantly drinking water. I'm not a huge massage gun type of girly because it hurts a lot. The foam roller hurts, but it's like that good type of hurt; depending on where you stand and where you lie, it's kind of perfect. I love rolling out my feet with a tennis ball, and I have these things called yoga toes. It has an opportunity to stretch my feet and my toes.

ED: How do you get your head right after losing a game?

AW: I treat my losses just like my wins. I give myself a car ride home from the gym, either to my house or to the hotel, to really get it all out. But after that, I'm back watching Scandal, back watching Modern Family, eating some fruit, and I'm just calling it a day.

ED: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten from a fellow athlete that’s stuck with you?

AW: I haven’t gotten this advice from him directly, but [NBA legend] Tim Duncan has a quote: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” That quote there, I’m literally getting chills now, because it just hits me every single time. It always reminds me that there are levels to wins, levels to life. You have to continue working hard to get there.

ED: What’s your secret to a good night’s sleep?

AW: My Oura Ring. I don't mess around with my Oura Ring. I got it on right now. I think that's the secret to it because I want to make sure I perform well on my Oura Ring, so I make sure that I'm getting really good sleep. I'm going to sleep on time, and I'm staying asleep. That and some white noise if my mind's going too crazy.

ED: What are you manifesting for yourself right now?

AW: Right now, I think I've been blessed. I'm in a great spot. I manifested the life that I'm living right now, so I'm letting that finish up before I start manifesting something else. I can't keep God busy too much.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.