COLUMN: While Demanding Respect, A’ja Wilson Can’t Afford to Cross the Line

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson confronted an Indiana Fever fan during Tuesday’s Game 2, after he pointed his finger at her after a foul. PHOTO: Las Vegas Aces

By W.G. RAMIREZ

I’ve covered A’ja Wilson since her rookie season.

I’ve watched her grow from the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 into a champion, an MVP, an Olympic gold medalist and, quite simply, the face of the WNBA.

But I’ve also watched the person.

And that matters here.

I’ve watched Wilson interact with teammates, opponents, coaches, members of the media and fans. Men. Women. Children. People who want an interview. People who want an autograph. People who simply want a moment of her time.

Through it all, she has carried herself with dignity, respect and poise.

So before anyone misconstrues what I’m about to say, understand this:

A’ja Wilson deserves respect.

She has earned it through what she has done for the Las Vegas Aces, the WNBA, and women’s basketball.

But respect also means being willing to tell the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.

And Tuesday night in Indianapolis, I believe Wilson allowed a frustrating moment to get the best of her.

With 4:10 remaining in the Aces’ 99-89 Game 2 loss to Indiana, Sophie Cunningham fouled Wilson. During the stoppage, a fan along the baseline stood, motioned toward Wilson and pointed at her.

Wilson crossed the baseline, approached him and pointed back. She was assessed a technical foul.

Afterward, Wilson explained why.

“If I see a man come at me, taking steps towards me and pointing at me … I don’t give a damn what you said,” Wilson told reporters. “That is unacceptable.”

I respect how Wilson felt in that moment.

I also have to trust my own eyes.

After watching the video - particularly the angle from across the court - I didn’t see anything as threatening as Wilson perceived in real time. That doesn’t mean she didn’t feel threatened. There is an important distinction between those two things.

Wilson was the person standing there. She heard whatever was said. She experienced the tone and emotion of the exchange. A video clip from across an arena cannot completely recreate that.

But Indiana security investigated the incident, spoke with the fan and witnesses, and determined there had been no violation of the WNBA Fan Code of Conduct. The fan was permitted to remain.

That matters, too.

The Risk She Couldn’t Afford to Take

And this is where my concern shifts from what happened Tuesday to what could happen next.

The Aces were losing. It was a physical, emotional playoff game. Their season was moving toward a winner-take-all Game 3.

Wilson was frustrated. She’s human.

But she’s also A’ja Wilson.

And with everything riding on the next game, the last thing Las Vegas can afford is for its best player to give the league a reason to examine whether further discipline is warranted.

The WNBA has mechanisms for additional discipline in player-conduct situations. That doesn’t mean Wilson will be suspended, nor does what occurred automatically warrant a suspension.

I’m certainly not calling for her to be suspended. I’m saying she created a risk that didn’t need to exist. Wilson herself understood part of the cost immediately. She apologized to her teammates afterward for receiving the technical foul.

“But it’s just certain things that I’m just not going to allow anymore because it’s just unacceptable,” she said.

And then came the statement that resonates far beyond one fan, one technical foul or one playoff game.

“You don’t have to like me, you don’t have to love me, you can hate me with all your heart, but you don’t know me,” Wilson said. ”But I guarantee you, you will respect me.”

On that point, Wilson and I completely agree.

Respect Should Be Non-Negotiable

Fans purchase a ticket to watch the game. They can cheer. They can boo. They can root against Wilson. They can despise the Aces.

A ticket doesn’t purchase ownership of an athlete’s dignity.

But this relationship has another side.

Professional athletes - particularly superstars - understand that opposing arenas can be hostile places. Fans will yell. They will point. They will celebrate your failures and try to get under your skin.

The responsibility for deciding when behavior crosses the line ultimately has to fall to security and game officials.

Because the alternative is exactly what happened Tuesday.

A superstar crossed the baseline to confront a spectator. And now, instead of spending the hours before a decisive Game 3 discussing basketball, the conversation is whether the league might have something else to say.

That’s what Wilson, Becky Hammon, and the Aces have to understand.

This isn’t about whether Wilson deserves respect.

I’ve watched her long enough to know she does.

It isn’t about whether she had a right to be angry.

She did.

It’s about knowing that sometimes the strongest response is walking away. Especially when your teammates, your franchise and your season need you on the basketball court.

Wilson said Tuesday night that people don’t have to like her or love her, but they will respect her.

After covering her since the beginning of her career, I can tell you the respect is already there.

The only thing she couldn’t afford Tuesday night was letting someone sitting courtside make her forget, even for a few seconds, how much she has riding on what happens next.