Four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson was never cheering against Caitlin Clark. She has, however, taken issue with the false and racially divisive narrative that followed the Indiana Fever superstar to the pros in 2024. "It wasn't a hit at me, because I'm going to do me regardless," Wilson, 29, told Time in a story published Tuesday, December 9. "I'm going to win this MVP, I'll win a gold medal, y'all can't shake my resume." To Wilson, who Time named its 2025 Athlete of the Year, it was more about fans forgetting the women who paved the way for her and Clark, 23, to have the spotlight. "It was more so, let's not lose the recipe," she continued. "Let's not lose the history. It was erased for a minute. And I don't like that. Because we have tons of women that have been through the grimiest of grimy things to get the league where it is today." South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley Sends a Message to Caitlin Clark Fans Clark took the WNBA by storm in 2024, winning Rookie of the Year and bringing her massive collegiate fanbase to the league with her. Fans and media new to the league began falsely crediting Clark for being the sole person responsible for the WNBA's rise - one that began way before Clark was even a student at the University of Iowa. Her fan-fueled rivalry with the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese, who is Black, also added an ugly racial component to the discussion. Players have been subjected to racist taunts on social media and at games over the past two seasons, leading the league to launch its No Space For Hate campaign in 2025. Unfortunately for Clark and the Fever, the young phenom missed most of the 2025 season due to injury. But despite the most popular player in the WNBA staying on the sidelines, ratings were still up compared to 2024. "Sometimes you need a proof in the pudding," Wilson said. "The biggest thing for us, and why I was so happy, is that we continue to rise to the occasion. This was just a matter of time for us to really bloom and blossom. Because we have been invested in each other and our craft for a very long time. It was just like, 'They're going to pay attention.'" A'ja Wilson Says the WNBA Will Continue to 'Break the Glass Ceiling' With the WNBA's constant rise over the past half-decade, no doubt supercharged by Clark, Reese and 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, the players are now at a standoff with the league as their collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on January 9, 2026. WNBA players are going to get major raises, but so far, reports indicate the league and Players Association are still far apart in negotiations. If that doesn't change, a lockout could hit the WNBA and stifle its growing momentum. "All of us are going to be at the table and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want," said Wilson, one of the Aces' player representatives for the WNBPA. Wilson is one of many players to have called out the WNBA for trying to lowball them. A common lament from the players has been that the league wants them to be happy with what they have, rather than to fight for what they deserve. "We're in a league where they're like, 'Oh, be happy you got private planes,'" she said. "No. That was just scratching the surface."