A’ja Wilson’s World Cup opt-out sparked speculation and an old clip about pettiness just fueled the fire.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Fans were stunned when Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson withdrew from the FIBA Women’s World Cup during one of her best WNBA seasons. The official explanation pointed to back issues that could have worsened with international play. Yet Linda Cohn’s theory, that insecurity about Caitlin Clark drove the decision, has reignited debate.
Cohn suggested Wilson’s absence wasn’t about health, it was about avoiding the spotlight Clark commanded in Berlin. “Could A’ja simply not want to deal with that? Could there be some insecurity, dare I say…could she be thinking, ‘I’m the four-time MVP, I’m the best player in the world, why does everything have to be about Caitlin Clark?’” Cohn said.
Her comments went viral, especially after an old clip resurfaced of Wilson on Hot Ones, where she admitted, “Absolutely. It’s sickening. It’s really bad how much pettiness fuels me, but yes. You can talk about anything, I’m gonna find something within it. I don’t like the way you didn’t use punctuation in your tweet. Like, I’m mad. People be testing me, and I love to let them know that I test back. I like to push buttons, too.”
The timing of the resurfaced clip, weeks after Cohn’s speculation, fueled the connection. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who coached Wilson in college, fired back on X, writing, “Linda, please!”
Wilson and Clark are the frontrunners for MVP this season. Wilson leads the league in scoring with 26.0 points, along with 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Clark counters with 22.5 points, a league-leading 8.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds. The MVP race itself fuels the tension as Wilson dominates the stat sheet, while Clark dominates the headlines.
Wilson played through injury concerns all August, appearing on the injury report but suiting up every game. Then, just days before Team USA boarded the plane, she withdrew from the World Cup and the timing fueled Cohn’s skepticism.
Cohn later clarified on YouTube that she wasn’t attacking Wilson’s character, but questioning the timing and USA Basketball’s lack of detail. “I went right to the source, USA Basketball. It cited health reasons, no details given. I was curious. … So why didn’t USA Basketball know about it? They detailed Kelsey Plum’s injury but not A’ja’s. I was just asking questions.”
Clark dominated the World Cup narrative. Player of the Game vs. China, leading the team in assists, and sparking debate over head coach Kara Lawson’s decision not to start her. Cohn’s point, that the tournament became the Caitlin Clark show, was hard to deny.
But the insecurity angle, that Wilson sat out to avoid Clark’s shadow, crossed a line for fans. Many argued that Wilson’s decision was about protecting her health, not her ego. Whether Cohn’s explanation takes the heat off her or the damage is beyond repair remains to be seen.