Fans didn’t quite know what to make of Thursday’s announcement: A’ja Wilson and Alana Smith splitting Defensive Player of the Year. It’s the first time the WNBA has handed the award to two players, and while it’s historic, it left a lot of people scratching their heads.
Wilson’s partner, Bam Adebayo, was one of them. The Miami Heat big man jumped on Threads with a blunt reaction:
“Can somebody explain Co to me right now..?!” he wrote, posting it next to a photo of Wilson glaring at the camera with her finger pressed on the table.
Numbers-wise, both had the résumé. Wilson finished with 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals a night. Smith put up 1.9 and 1.9. When the votes came in — 29 apiece — the league decided to just split it down the middle.
A’ja Wilson, Bam Adebayo, and the extra push
Controversy aside, A’ja Wilson’s season has been massive. She’s right in the middle of the MVP race again, chasing what would be her fourth. The Aces leaned on her in the first-round matchup with Seattle, where she powered through defenders in the post and still made life miserable on the other end.
ESPN even dropped a highlight reel of her series, noting how much sharper she’s gotten in the past year. Lisa Leslie connected the dots to the offseason work Wilson has put in with Adebayo.
“In the offseason, they played one-on-one, and Bam has not taken it easy on A’ja, nor has she on him,” Leslie said.
The two have been together since the Paris Olympics in 2024, and nearly a year later they’re still finding ways to push each other — on the floor and off. Wilson’s growth shows it, and Adebayo’s been quick to hype her up. The relationship seems to be working both ways.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
