A’ja Wilson pulled up to the Aces’ trophy parade wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. Not as a joke. Not for show. But as a statement. Because this season, she really had collected every single infinity stone: The scoring title, DPOY, MVP, Finals MVP. She had won it all.

“I’m on my way there,” Wilson said. “I’m making it real hard for people to chase after me. That’s what it means to be the GOAT.” And really, who could argue? She is the first ever player in WNBA or NBA history to sweep all those honors in a single season. And she is now one of just four players across both leagues to win four MVPs before turning 30, joining the company of Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James.

But what truly lifts her into legendary status? It’s the rare blend of elite traits she brings to the floor, the kind that mirror the very best the WNBA has ever seen.

Lisa Leslie: Owning the Paint

When the conversation turns to post dominance, Lisa Leslie’s name sits right at the top. A three-time MVP and two-time champion with the Los Angeles Sparks, she set the standard for bigs in the WNBA’s early years. Double-doubles were routine. Buckets in the paint were guaranteed. And on top of it all, she made history as the first player ever to dunk in a WNBA game.

Leslie finished her career averaging 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. And in her prime in the early 2000s, she was a double-double machine. In both 2002 and 2003, she pulled down over 10 rebounds a night, posting 10.4 boards in 2002 and 10.0 in 2003. That was dominance, night after night.

Post dominance is something we now associate with A’ja Wilson, too. Early in her WNBA career, she wasn’t a perimeter threat, much like Lisa Leslie. In fact, Wilson attempted just one three-pointer across her first three seasons. But inside the paint? She was, and still is, a menace.

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For her career, she’s averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, and over the last two seasons, she’s taken that past 10 a night, owning the glass like the elite bigs before her.

Wilson already has 120 career double-doubles. That’s only 37 shy of Lisa Leslie, and she’s done it in 96 fewer games. Think about that for a second. And truth be told, the comparison feels natural. The way A’ja plays, the control she has inside, the calm dominance in the post. It all reminds you of Leslie.

Tamika Catchings: Relentless on Defense

The greatest Indiana Fever player to date, Tamika Catchings, built her legacy on iron defense. Getting past her was never easy. Most nights, it felt impossible. A five-time Defensive Player of the Year, Catchings retired as the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and second on the scoring list.

Catchings was all about steals, blocks, and pure hustle. The kind that changed games. She led the Fever to the 2012 championship and retired with career averages of 16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. And now, A’ja Wilson is starting to mirror that same defensive impact. She’s already a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and the way she’s going, it feels like there could be plenty more still to come.

A’ja led the league in blocks, swatting away 2.3 shots per game. And by defensive rating, she was the best by a mile. With Wilson on the floor in 2025, the Aces gave up just 96 points per 100 possessions. It was the second time in three seasons that she topped the W in that category.

Wilson and Catchings have so much in common, especially in the way they bend games on the defensive end. It’s not just about numbers. It’s the timing of the blocks. The quick hands in passing lanes. The way they read plays before they even develop. Both set the tone, both drag their teams into the fight, and both make life miserable for anyone trying to score. That’s why it’s easy to  see A’ja as the natural heir to Tamika Catchings.

Diana Taurasi: Competitive Fire

Very few players have ever matched the competitive fire of Diana Taurasi. And now, you can see shades of that same edge in A’ja Wilson. That same win-at-all-costs mindset. Taurasi, a three-time champion and the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer with the Phoenix Mercury, built her legend on clutch moments and fearless trash talk. When the game got tight, she wanted the ball.

“The White Mamba,” as Kobe Bryant once called her, has countless moments where she ripped victory from the jaws of defeat. One of the best came in 2009. In a thrilling five-game Finals, the Phoenix Mercury closed it out at home, beating the Indiana Fever 94–86 in front of a roaring crowd. Taurasi dropped a game-high 26 points to seal the title. She finished as the leading scorer of the entire playoff run and walked away with Finals MVP. Classic Taurasi.

Another one for the Taurasi legend came in 2014. Game 1 against the Minnesota Lynx. With just 2.9 seconds left, DT pulled up and knocked down a cold-blooded 20-footer to steal an 82–80 win for Phoenix. And that same gene shows up in A’ja Wilson, too.

Game 3 of this year’s WNBA Finals allowed us to witness vintage A’ja Wilson. With just 0.3 seconds left, she rose and buried the game-winning jumper over Alyssa Thomas to seal the win for the Aces. Wilson finished with 34 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, shooting 11-of-20 from the field and 11-of-12 at the line. That sealed Las Vegas’ 3–0 series lead. When it mattered most, A’ja delivered.

Sheryl Swoopes: Two-Way Dominance

Sheryl Swoopes set the gold standard for two-way greatness. The WNBA’s first-ever signed player and a foundational superstar with the Houston Comets, she was dominant on both ends of the floor. A three-time MVP, Swoopes also won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, led the league in scoring twice and steals twice, and helped power the Comets to four championships.

Offense. Defense. Winning. Swoopes did it all.

And that’s pretty much what A’ja Wilson is known for, too, right? This season, she led the league in scoring at 23.4 points per game, while also putting up 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 blocks. Read that again. That’s the profile of a true all-around force. She scores. She defends. She cleans the glass. She protects the rim. For the Aces, Wilson isn’t just doing a bit of everything. She’s doing everything.

Maya Moore: Winning Mentality

Known as the “greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball,” Maya Moore won everywhere she went. College. Pros. International stage. It didn’t matter. She’s one of just 11 women ever to complete the full sweep: an Olympic gold, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold, and a WNBA title. Wherever Moore showed up, trophies followed.

A’ja Wilson has that winning mentality ingrained in her. The Aces have now won three titles in four years and are comfortably one of the most successful franchises in the league, thanks in large part to Wilson’s brilliance season after season. This year wasn’t easy.

Las Vegas lost Kelsey Plum, slipped below .500 midway through the season, and looked vulnerable. But it was A’ja who rallied the group, who pulled everyone together, and led a stunning 16-game winning run that carried the Aces all the way to another championship.

That’s Maya Moore’s mentality, through and through.