South Carolina basketball fans have known for a long time that A'ja Wilson is special.
As the Gamecock Faithful began watching Wilson's career closely when she was the top overall women's basketball recruit in the nation, it became apparent that she was an elite player and an elite person who desired to be a trailblazer who paved the way to make things easier and better for the girls who followed her.
Her excellence on the court and off of it continued when she joined the South Carolina basketball and led the Gamecocks to a National Championship and won a National Player of the Year honor for herself.
It kept going when she became the WNBA Draft's top pick in 2018, the league's Rookie of the Year, a 2-time champion, and the best player in the world.
Now, many are catching on to something that Gamecock fans have known for a decade: A'ja Wilson is special.
On Wednesday, Time Magazine released its list of the Top-100 Most Influential People of 2024, and A'ja Wilson made the list.
When Time released their list, Wilson's tribute article was written by 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who is a part-owner of the Las Vegas Aces franchise that she calls her home franchise.
Brady appropriately described A'ja Wilson's abilities as a basketball player with such descriptors as "incredible," "fearlessness in achieving greatness," and "a unique combination of natural skill and unwavering determination."
He also reminded his reader that Wilson is a champion off the court who fights for several causes much bigger than herself: her foundation supports kids with dyslexia, she is a loud voice for equal treatment of minorities and women in sports, and she platforms against bullying.
With the explosive growth around women's basketball in recent years, A'ja Wilson's influence and legacy will only continue growing, and South Carolina basketball fans are proud to call her one of their own as she continues to make an impact.