When A’ja Wilson is locked in on the court, even the best of rival defenses fall massively short. For LeBron James, Wilson is “TOO DAMN GOOD!!!!” Breaking Jewel Loyd’s single-season (2023) record of 939 points against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever on 12th September, the Las Vegas Aces Center put one hand on her third WNBA MVP award. But surprisingly, an inanimate object stole part of the credit – her plain white tee! Interestingly, here’s where the Beyonce parallel comes in.

For a few weeks, Wilson has been rocking up to games in a simple white t-shirt. Her reason for doing so? “Right now, where I am, I don’t feel like I deserve to put on clothes,” she said, addressing the matter. “Right now, my main focus is just getting wins.” And indeed, this switch paid off. In the 5 games after she started this trend, Wilson averaged a mammoth 30.6 points alongside a smidgen under 13 rebounds while going 55.3% from the field.

Concerning the effect clothing has on one’s work, Beyonce has a similar mindset. Earlier this year, the ‘greatest living entertainer’ told CR Fashion Book, “When I’m not dressed for an appearance and I’m training or hustling, my go-to outfit is a black hoodie and black sweatpants.” 

ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson dived into this WNBA-Pop crossover, saying, “She’s (A’ja) setting the stage for this dominant mindset in the white tee. I’m sure you’ve seen her in her pre-game fit. It is setting the table for dominance, which is what she has been doing between the lines.”

Elaborating on how Beyonce set the trend, Robinson added, “Now when I think about white tees and I think about… what article of clothing might someone wear when they want to take their game to another level? Beyonce… when she puts on that black hoodie, oh you know she’s in the studio, Beyonce is putting the choreography together, and an album is about to drop!”

Looking at A’ja Wilson’s career trajectory, she can become the ‘Beyonce of the WNBA’ world. Her single-leg sleeve has already brought about a wave wherein female college players began imitating her ‘style’. When the ‘A’ja Wilson effect’ is so strong, what can stop her from being the MVP yet again?

Sue Bird believes A’ja Wilson has the 2024 WNBA MVP in the bag

The Las Vegas Aces have won two consecutive WNBA championships and have sealed a playoff spot this season. A’ja Wilson has led by example with an exemplary 27-point average, her career highest, across 36 games. With no other player nearing her feat, a unanimous MVP vote awaits her. Who better to approve of her caliber than 4x WNBA champ Sue Bird herself? “I’ve seen it all when it comes to MVP races. I try to not listen to all the noise,” Bird told The Spun.

“Yes, the Aces have lost more games than people anticipated, but A’ja Wilson’s play has not dropped. She has been the most consistent throughout the course of this season,” the 13x All-star added. “For that reason, I’d give her the edge. In the same exact breath though, I’d say we have to let all the games play out.”

Though the Aces haven’t been the best team this year, the playoffs bring a different atmosphere. The Becky Hammon-led team knows what it’s like to excel under pressure and can turn the game around from a losing position. Fresh off 86-75 and 78-74 wins against the Indiana Fever, A’ja Wilson & Co. take on the third-seed Connecticut Sun tonight.