A’ja Wilson is becoming more of a household name, especially with the long-overdue increase in attention on the WNBA in 2024. Wilson was drafted in 2018 to the Las Vegas Aces, and she has since become a back to back WNBA champion, WNBA MVP (2020, 2022, 2024 pending*), Defensive Player Of The Year (DPOY) in 2022 and 2023, Rookie Of The Year (ROTY) in 2018, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist, and has made repeat appearances five times as an All-Star. A’ja Wilson has won at every level, and she is also a New York Times bestselling author.
A’ja Wilson’s story goes beyond her accolades and captivating story. When Wilson was a sophomore in highschool, she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Like many individuals with dyslexia, A’ja Wilson did not let her diagnosis stop her from becoming the best person she could be, on and off the court. Wilson started the A’ja Wilson Foundation (AWF), a commitment to community outreach, to provide resources and tutoring to children affected by dyslexia. The A’ja Wilson Foundation’s vision is as stated, “To show the world that people with learning disabilities can be successful with the right resources.” (A’ja Wilson Foundation, AWF. 2024) A message destined to have a lasting impact.
A’ja Wilson is not the only two-time WNBA Champion (2018, 2020) and Olympic Gold medalist (2020, 2024) in the league who has been vocal about their struggles with dyslexia. Jewell Loyd, of the Seattle Storm, penned an article at the end of her senior year of college in the Players’ Tribune in 2015, detailing her challenges, and triumph with dyslexia.
Jewell Loyd loved to learn. Whether on the basketball court, or in the classroom. She listened to her teachers with great focus, and tried her best to take in the most amount of knowledge that she could. When Jewell Loyd was twelve years old, her mother noticed something was off when she was doing her homework. She was taking an abnormal amount of time to complete her assignments each night. A common trait of a child with dyslexia.
At first, Jewell Loyd did not understand her diagnosis, and the term “disability,” made her feel uncomfortable, ashamed, and isolated. Jewell pens in her 2015 feature in The Players’ Tribune, “I was actually the first person at my school to share a diagnosis, thanks to my parents, so we’d begun trying different specialized learning plans. My friends knew something was up. Finally, I told them why I was getting the extra help. I was dyslexic. It took some explaining, but they couldn’t have been more supportive. Why was I so afraid?” Jewell further explains how the word “disability,” became empowering for her. She began to apply her work ethic in sports, into her studies. Jewell graduated from Notre Dame on the honor roll, and as the first pick in the 2015 WNBA draft.
In 2023, Jewell Loyd had the most points scored in a single season. A new record to add to her plethora of accolades. In 2024, A’ja Wilson broke her record, and continued to finish the regular season with the first ever recorded 1,000+ point season in the WNBA. Both players represented the United States in the 2024 Olympics, and took home their second consecutive Gold medal.
In the end, it was their choice to share their stories, struggles, and success with dyslexia. To show representation at the highest level. But, it was their destiny to show that they would remain among the greatest of all-time, year after year.