Reigning WNBA champion A'ja Wilson picked up yet another honor this week, as TIME crowned the four-time league MVP its 2025 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.
The Las Vegas Aces center became the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, with the 29-year-old sweeping the league's awards this year.
"This year, I collected everything," Wilson said in her TIME interview. "I don't really talk much sh-t — I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it."
Wilson described the Aces' midseason slump as a focusing agent in her 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year feature, with the skid launching the team on course to their third championship win in four years.
"I think 2025 was a wake-up call that I needed, to let me know that I can't be satisfied with anything," said Wilson. "There's somebody out there that's going to try to take your job. You need to make sure you're great at it, every single day."
Wilson also spoke to the strained relationship between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose leadership came under fire in October as CBA negotiations kicked into high gear.
"I only know Cathy by when she hands me trophies," Wilson said. "If that's her true self, thank you for showing that. Thank you for saying those things. Because now we see you for who you are, and now we're about to work even harder at this negotiation."
With the latest CBA extension expiring on January 9th, Wilson promised that the players are all-in on negotiations through the holiday season.
“All of us are going to be at the table, and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want."
Target is getting a WNBA makeover, with the retail giant announcing a new merch line of exclusive WNBA-licensed apparel in collaboration with fashion brand The Wild Collective this week.
With pieces "made for those who play by their own rules — on and off the court," the drop features both overall league-branded merch as well as designs highlighting six WNBA teams: the Minnesota Lynx, the Chicago Sky, the New York Liberty, the Indiana Fever, the Golden State Valkyries, and the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces.
The collection includes "statement jackets, reworked jerseys, and everyday streetwear-inspired pieces, all carrying The Wild Collective's signature mix of premium materials, tailored fits, and fashion-forward details," and all in women's or unisex cuts, according to this week's release.
Target is far from the latest retailer buying into the women's basketball game, as growing demand for the WNBA has numerous companies outside of the traditional sportswear realm linking up with the league and its stars.
In just the last two months, for instance, Danish toymaker LEGO snagged four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson for the company's YouTube Shorts series, while Chicago Sky star Angel Reese teamed up with fashion brands Juicy Couture and Victoria's Secret.
How to purchase from the WNBA x Target collection
All pieces in The Wild Collective's WNBA merch line at Target are now available for purchase both online and in select stores.
The Las Vegas Aces won the 2025 WNBA Championship in Friday's Game 4, sweeping the Phoenix Mercury to put a bow on the league's longest-ever season — while also starting the clock on its next CBA.
"We have great players," Aces guard Chelsea Gray told reporters, stressing the importance of the upcoming deal after helping secure Las Vegas's third title in four years. "You need to treat them like that."
Like many teams across the league, the Aces have just one player under contract for 2026 — rookie Aaliyah Nye — after a rash of now-free agents opted to sign one-year contracts in anticipation of salary shifts in the upcoming CBA.
With the October 31st deadline looming, negotiations are likely to extend past that mark amid mounting tensions between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert in recent weeks.
"I think they'll work it out somehow, I hope — I haven't been consulted," said Aces owner Mark Davis.
Davis also joked about making Becky Hammon the best-paid head coach in the WNBA, with the Las Vegas manager currently pulling in $1 million annually — four times the single-year supermax player contract under the league's current CBA.
Salary structure a tipping point in WNBA CBA negotiations
As for the players union, the WNBPA says they're aiming to expand revenue sharing, while the league is reportedly looking to keep salary structures mostly intact.
"It's basically the same system that we exist in right now," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN in August. "When you approach it from the perspective of their response to our proposal, yes, money is more, but ultimately if you look at the growth of the business, the money relative to the percentage of everything is virtually staying the same."
According to Front Office Sports, the most recent WNBA offer included an $850,000 supermax contract plus a veteran minimum near $300,000.
The WNBA will likely have until the end of 2025 to strike a deal, but with little common ground emerging thus far, the potential for a work stoppage looms large.