A’ja Wilson wins historic league MVP award amid a major missed WNBA marketing opportunity

The GIST: This weekend, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson made WNBA history by winning the league’s MVP award for a record fourth time, shortly after earning her third WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) and warranting the first-ever share of the award.

• At 29, Wilson is at the top of her game — yet she hasn’t commanded the same kind of sponsorship attention as the talented (but still unproven) Caitlin Clark, a reality shaped by ongoing disparities in WNBA athlete marketing. Let’s dive in.

The accolades: Additionally, Wilson is a two-time WNBA champ and the 2023 Finals MVP. She was named the 2018 Rookie of the Year, is a four-time All-WNBA First Team honoree, and outside of the 2020 “Wubble” season, Wilson has made the All-Star Game every year. This is all after graduating from Dawn Staley’s South Carolina program, which built a statue in her honor and retired her jersey.

The sponsorships: Wilson is already at that stage of a legendary athlete where she is getting prestige deals — she’s a Chase ambassador and the first-ever global ambassador for the Jr. WNBA. For brands highlighting traits like excellence and legacy, Wilson is a top pick, something Nike anticipated when building a two-year campaign around a shoe that sold out in under five minutes.

• Although she’s endorsed approximately 30 brands, Wilson’s sponsorship profile doesn’t take full advantage of her star power. Early on, she bagged brand deals no other W player had, but she’s not ranked among the top 10 most-endorsed women athletes in 2024-25 nor the top five most-endorsed WNBA athletes in 2025, per SponsorUnited.

The context: Despite all this momentum, Wilson entered the WNBA at a transitional point in women’s sports history. Although she’s garnered Michael Jordan comparisons for her unparalleled résumé, her current sponsorship portfolio doesn't necessarily correlate with her on-court accolades, something Wilson herself has said is “100% about race”.

• Critics have pointed out how white players like Clark, Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, and even fellow WNBA vet Breanna Stewart have gained more sponsorship deals, especially after Clark’s $28M signature shoe deal with Nike was announced before Wilson’s signature line was confirmed.

• It's also worth noting that this younger generation of athletes that entered college after Wilson embraced a new world of NIL opportunities. They stepped into the W with marketing and brand hype behind them without spending years proving it on the WNBA court — even though Brink was injured all of last year and Clark was injured much of this year.

Lingering questions: Arguably, as the face of the WNBA (or at least one of its most famous ones), it’s worth wondering why Wilson isn’t the face of more brands. Is she “too big” to take on small deals? Or are brands simply more interested in associating with Gen Z athletes with bigger social media followings on surging platforms like Instagram and TikTok?

• Wilson’s success should transcend this: Despite prestigious deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Chase, there’s a lot left on the table compared to the numerous sponsorships banked by peers. Seven years in, there’s still much to come with Wilson, and she should have more significant deals in her future — Clark isn’t the only one with Jordan-level marketing potential.