Aja Wilson has been slammed by Jason Whitlock for claiming she doesn’t get the credit she deserves in the WNBA, despite being voted 2024’s MVP, as the controversial commentator accuses the Las Vegas Aces‘ star’s parents of “poisoning her brain”.

The 28-year-old suggested that her generation of players has to work harder than those of previous generations to earn praise for their accomplishments, in comments that later went viral on social media.

Wilson also went on to link her struggle to recognition to her skin color and perceived racism within the United States in what was possibly a subtle reference to Caitlin Clark who has been made the center of accused racism storm from the WNBA.

“I mean for us, as black women, we grew up, a lot of time, with our parents telling us, ‘You got to work 10 times as hard just to get a foot in the door, let alone to stand out,” Wilson told ESPN. “I felt that more this year than ever.”

However, Whitlock swiftly hit back at Wilson by saying that she’s actually part of a generation where she’s getting praised for doing less as he also connects her comments to what he seems to view as poor parenting.

“A’ja Wilson, who’s maybe 28 years old, she didn’t grow up in a time when you had to be 10 times as good to get half the credit or an equal amount of credit,” Whitlock said on his TV show. “And she doesn’t even contend that.

“What she’s contending is that her parents poisoned her brain with bad information and made her feel like, ‘Oh my God, the world is out to get you and despite your effort, you’re only gonna get half the acclaim and credit that you deserve.’ That’s a myth that her parents put in her head.”

Aces keep their season alive

The Las Vegas Aces needed to win three straight games against the New York Liberty if they hoped to reach another WNBA Finals and on October 4, they took the first step in that direction with an encouraging 95-81 win.

All the damage was done in the third quarter, which the Aces won 21-6 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, in an otherwise tight contest as Wilson posted 19 points, 14 rebounds and three assists.

Game four will take place on Sunday, September 6 with the Aces taking to the court in front of their home crowd in Nevada once again.