WNBA star A’ja Wilson has landed a prestigious award one day after her controversial incident with an Indiana Fever fan during Game 2.
Wilson went into the stands to confront an Indiana Fever fan who was “pointing” at her following a foul call. Wilson was hit with a technical foul, but she was not ejected. The Fever won the game, moving on to Game 3.
On Wednesday, one day after the controversial fan incident, Wilson landed a prestigious community award.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center announced that Wilson has been named the 2027 recipient of the Community Youth Influencer Award.
“To be a champion for humanity is to recognize that our influence is bigger than our accomplishments. It is to use our platform to lift others, open doors, inspire possibility, and help shape a better future,” they announced.
“And when it comes to being an MVP for youth, A’ja Wilson is showing us what that looks like. A’ja is celebrated around the world for what she does on the basketball court. But her influence reaches far beyond the game.”
“Through the A’ja Wilson Foundation, A’ja is helping young people, particularly young girls navigating dyslexia and other challenges, recognize their worth, develop confidence, overcome stigma, and understand that their challenges do not define their possibilities. Her commitment to education, mentorship, compassion, inclusion, and creating spaces where young people can thrive reflects the kind of influence that can change lives.”
Wilson, meanwhile, is vowing to not change her behavior after the fan incident
Wilson made it clear that she doesn’t regret her behavior.
“If I see a man come at me, taking steps toward me and pointing at me, I don’t give a damn what you said. I don’t give a damn how you said it, the tone, that is unacceptable,” Wilson said after the game. “You don’t know me to step toward me and point at me. I’m not for that (expletive) at all … That there is unacceptable. How he gets back in the game because they said he didn’t do anything, of course he did.”
Wilson is vowing not to change.
“It’s just certain things that I’m not going to allow anymore, because it’s unacceptable,” she said. “You don’t know me at all to come and step toward me and point at me and say anything.”
Game 3 is set for 9 p.m. E.T. tonight.
