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    • A’ja Wilson wants more: US basketball team aims for 8th gold
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    A’ja Wilson wants more: US basketball team aims for 8th gold

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    PARIS – A’ja Wilson feeds on greed.

    Wilson is the best basketball player in the world and is considered the best in the game because of her ability to dominate both ends of the court. She will look to cement her Olympic legacy on Sunday when the U.S. women compete for their eighth consecutive gold medal, their second in a row.

    As the Paris Olympics began, Wilson was asked what was left on her bucket list. Favorite to win MVP honors this WNBA season – her third in five years – Wilson already has two WNBA championships, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, an NCAA title and a College Player of the Year trophy, as well as a statue of her likeness outside her college’s arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

    What else could she want to do?

    With her comment on greed, Wilson wanted to express that in her opinion there are no limits to her achievements in basketball.

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    Before Paris, Wilson told USA TODAY Sports that she was especially proud to shine on the world stage.

    Wilson, who shone for the US team, said: “It makes me happy because anyone can be the top pick and the first choice on a team. But can you do that on a team where you have a whole range of options?”

    Wilson emerged as the star of the U.S. team at the 2022 World Championship in Sydney, Australia, where she was named MVP after leading the team in points (17.2) and rebounds (7.5). It was at that tournament, shortly after the Las Vegas Aces’ first WNBA title, that Wilson realized how good she could be on the world stage, too.

    “It was a great test for me,” she said. “Anyone can be great at one thing, but can you be great at different things?”

    At just 28 years old – she celebrated her birthday at the Games – Wilson is just entering her prime. With sports science evolving to help athletes compete in their 40s, and the fact that Wilson has never traveled abroad in the winter, putting less strain on her body, it’s exciting to think about how much longer she could continue to play at a high level.

    In Paris, Wilson averaged 18.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in the Americans’ five victories, making her the team’s best player. The tandem of her and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (18.0 points and 1.6 blocks), herself a two-time MVP, proved deadly.

    Six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi has called them “the two best players in the world.” Coach Cheryl Reeve said she is regularly “wowed” by them. And they have enjoyed building their chemistry together, as evidenced by how often they help each other score. One of them helping the other has become a common occurrence at this tournament, often grabbing a rebound.

    “We like to give each other space to work,” Stewart said, “whether it’s in transition or playing high-low to each other, and the same goes for defense.”

    Wilson thinks a lot about how she can continue to develop her game, especially as she develops her skills in perimeter protection, including on defense.

    “I want to be able to defend every position from one through five really well,” Wilson said. “Right now I feel like I’m doing four and five reasonably well. But defensively, I never want teams to feel like they can put me in certain moves because I’m a liability. I really want to be able to say I can defend one through five and good luck getting past me.”

    The bottom line is that Wilson already has an impressive resume, but she wants more.

    Like she said, she’s greedy.

    Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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