Stewie on A’ja: A Rivalry Built on Respect and Greatness

Four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson finished 2026 averaging 26.2 points and 9.4 rebounds and is the favorite to win this year's award. PHOTO: Courtesy Las Vegas Aces

By WG RAMIREZ

LAS VEGAS — Breanna Stewart knows what awaits when the New York Liberty face the Las Vegas Aces.

“When we play Vegas, it’s A’ja,” Stewart said, during a recent 1-on-1 interview for WGRamirez.com.

That recognition comes from a rivalry spanning much of their basketball lives. Stewart and A’ja Wilson were teammates in the junior national program, college opponents, and eventually WNBA champions and MVPs. They have spent years measuring themselves against one another while carrying title expectations for their teams.

“Anytime we go head-to-head, it’s going to be an incredible matchup,” Stewart said.

The regular season reinforced their place among the league’s elite. Wilson finished 2026 averaging 26.2 points and 9.4 rebounds; Stewart averaged 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. Then both made an emphatic playoff entrance Sunday. Stewart had 34 points and 12 rebounds as eighth-seeded New York beat top-seeded Minnesota 91-75. Wilson answered with 38 points and 16 rebounds in Las Vegas’ 102-85 win over Indiana.

Their teams remain in separate first-round series. Their opening performances reminded everyone why another Stewart-Wilson meeting would command the league’s attention.

The Standard They Set for Each Other

Stewart believes Wilson’s improvement helps drive her own. Neither can rely solely on the game that brought her this far.

“She’s going to get better each year, I’m going to get better each year, and vice versa,” Stewart said, with a shy smirk, looking over Michelob Ultra Arena’s court while her Liberty teammates practiced on July 30. “That’s the way we continue to go.”

Against each other, they can test a move or a defensive counter against someone equipped to recognize and answer it.

“We want to try new things against each other,” said Stewart, who was named MVP of the recently concluded FIBA World Cup. “We want to see what’s going to work against each other, because if it works against each other, then it’s going to work against everybody else.”

Stewart described the confidence behind that approach plainly: “We’re two of the best to really do it, and especially at the post position.”

Sunday showed how much each can still demand of an opponent. Stewart shot 11-for-18 against Minnesota and added six assists, two steals and two blocks to her 34-point, 12-rebound night. Wilson’s 38 points powered the Aces past a Fever team that had beaten them in the regular-season series. Each turned a difficult opening assignment into a statement.

A History That Keeps Growing

Their connection predates their WNBA careers.

“When we were in juniors, we played together,” Stewart said. “We didn’t really play against each other, I don’t think, in anything.”

College changed that. Stewart became the centerpiece of Connecticut’s dynasty; Wilson led South Carolina to its first national championship. Their paths continued to cross after Stewart won titles in Seattle and Wilson became the face of Las Vegas’ championship era.

“From there on, it was like we were going at each other in college, beginning of our WNBA careers, and still now,” Stewart said.

She calls it “a rivalry that’s obviously well-respected.” What stands out to Stewart is its duration.

“It’s been consistent,” she said.

That word applies to more than their meetings. Stewart and Wilson have stayed central to the championship conversation as opponents have changed, rosters have turned over and the league has grown around them. Sunday’s playoff openers added another chapter to that history, even from opposite sides of the bracket, and a sudden excitement for a potential matchup in the WNBA Finals.

Respect Beyond the Matchup

Stewart’s assessment of Wilson reaches beyond what makes her difficult to defend.

“She’s going to be one of the greats,” Stewart said.

She pointed to how Wilson has expanded her influence while staying herself: “The way that she continues to elevate and be herself on and off the court at all times.”

Stewart also sees Wilson using her platform to lift the league. “Not only is she elevating what she does with her team, but even beyond that, I think that she’s really taking ownership of that,” she said.

For now, each has a first-round series to finish. New York’s upset of Minnesota and Las Vegas’ win over Indiana brought a possible playoff meeting one step closer, though both teams still have work to do.

Stewart needs no reminder of the challenge Wilson would present. Their rivalry has lasted because both keep finding ways to raise the standard - and because each knows exactly who is waiting across the court.