5 Little-Known Facts About First-Time Olympian A'ja Wilson
5 Facts About Basketball Star A'ja Wilson That Prove She Really Is the MVP
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On January 18, 2021, as part of her alma mater's observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a statue of A'ja was dedicated near the main entrance to the University of South Carolina's Colonial Life Arena. For A'ja, the moment was particularly surreal, considering her late grandmother couldn't even set foot on USC's campus during segregation. "When people see that statue, I want them to think about the person I've been within my community, not just what I've done in the arena," she told InStyle during a June 2021 interview. "It's all about leaving your legacy."
A'ja credits her grandmother, her parents, and all those who came before her for all her success at USC, where she was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and graduated in 2018 with a degree in mass communications. "For me to accomplish as much as I have at the University of South Carolina, it probably wouldn't have even been into play if I didn't have those people like my parents and my group planting those seeds for me to succeed," she told CBS News in March 2021. "So when it comes to that statue, I know it's so much bigger than the basketball accolades."