“Y’all will never understand how much y’all mean to me because it’s days when I hate being A’ja Wilson.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and her voice grew deeper as A’ja Wilson worded her famous locker room speech. The 28-year-old had just scored 1000 points in a season, etching a WNBA record before she broke down. But do you remember a similar breakdown in the Bercy Arena on August 5, 2024, when the Team USA inquiry jumped Jordan Chiles into the bronze medal spot? Yes!

We’re talking about two powerful moments of vulnerability here. Interestingly, these athletes are now reacting to each other’s unfiltered self-expression!

Both Jordan Chiles and A’ja Wilson made it to the Time Magazine ‘Women of the Year’ annual list for 2025. The two even sat down with the publishers for an interview. The reporters inquired if Chiles deserved the bronze medal was later stripped from her and awarded to Ana Barbosu. A’ja Wilson said, “I really prayed, not only because you’re [Chiles] my friend, but because I see you, I understand you, and it may look different because we’re in different sports, but you’re fully equipped….” she answered addressing Chiles.

And now, it’s the gymnast voicing her stance on A’ja Wilson’s emotional locker room speech!

The 23-year-old gymnast, Jordan Chiles, personally, seems to have found great strength in A’ja Wilson’s speech. No wonder she said, “I cried watching the video, and I watched it over and over again. That video was honestly something that I feel like not just the world needed to see but other athletes need to see.”

Being a professional perhaps has more layers than what meets the eye. Yet, there are moments when you fake it and don’t feel like showing up. There are days when athletes even struggle with their mental health. But A’ja Wilson beautifully credited her team for being the reason she pushes herself.

And Chiles saw great strength in that! The Team USA gymnast further credited A’ja Wilson for her simply fearless self, stating, “And it’s really cool to know that you are able to speak your vulnerable self. I really took a lot from that.”

But she isn’t the only one. Jordan Chiles remains really big on drawing her inspiration from women role models. She even added that having watched Megan Thee Stallion’s documentary recently showed her how athletes go through the process of hiding their real selves at times. “We try to hide who the real A’ja Wilson is, who the real Jordan Chiles is, who the real Naomi Osaka is, Serena, who those real people are.”

Perhaps a reason why Jordan Chiles relates to A’ja Wilson is because the two are both ardent advocates of athlete mental health. A’ja Wilson has often talked about the struggles of being a black woman in basketball and so has Chiles in her respective sport. Moreover, Wilson has navigated her way through tougher battles like dyslexia, depression, anxiety, and the stereotypes of being a tall woman of color who was passionate about sports.

And these backstories are what connects the two. Thanks to these, they no longer fear being vulnerable to addressing mental health in the public!

But Jordan Chiles’s scars from the 2024 online hate and trolling seem to have made her wary of social media. But there’s one reason she is ready to make an exception and put her life out there on the grid. And that is…

Jordan Chiles wants nothing more but to inspire the next generation

Speaking to Time magazine, Jordan Chiles re-addressed her hatred for social media. She previously said she hates it because it allows people to judge them based on a picture instead of their life stories. It doesn’t sit right with her like most of us. But there is one reason that pushes her to not cut out.

“If I had the choice, I wouldn’t share anything about my life. But then I wouldn’t be able to give the younger generation something to look at,” said Jordan Chiles. She uses social media to emulate the role models who inspired her.

But at the same time, she has a strong message for others to think of before they turn into critics. “How I think of it is, if you’re gonna sit there and critique somebody, try to get underneath their skin, then it’s something that’s inside of you that you’re not OK with.” Chiles, who has been subjected to racial disgust and cheating accusations after the Paris Olympics, has had a lot to deal with.

So all she’s asking for is for people to put themselves in another person’s shoes and then draw a conclusion. Do you think this is the right way to go about things? Let us know below!