A’ja Wilson is already one of the greatest players in WNBA history. At 30 years old, she continues to improve her game and consistently ranks at or near the top of the list for MVP voting every season. One Former four-time NBA champion even thinks her domination could extend to the NBA.
John Salley Believes A’ja Wilson Would ‘Cook’ Opponents in the NBA
John Salley played 11 seasons in the NBA between 1986 and 2000. He won two titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, one with the 1996 Chicago Bulls, and his last came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.
The NBA big man knows a thing or two about the physicality it takes to play in the league. He did not let anyone push him around in the paint. The former No. 11 pick in the 1986 NBA Draft spent six seasons in Detroit, becoming a key piece for the “Bad Boys” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Salley recently appeared on the “TFU Podcast” hosted by Ad Dolphin and Alejandro Gonzalez. After watching Wilson, the now 62-year-old is convinced she would do more than hold her own in the NBA.
“Imagine if [Wilson] had to play in the NBA or against men. She’d be cooking a lot of these dudes. Destroying a lot of these guys. This ain’t like tennis. Like, you know, Serena [Williams] was like, ‘If I played against the men, they’d beat you.’ No, you playing basketball,” Salley emphasized.
Wilson, a three-time WNBA champion, has finished in the top eight in MVP voting every season of her nine-year career. She has taken home the prestigious award three times and could easily win her fourth in 2026, averaging 26.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks.
Salley compares Wilson’s domination on the hardwood to Serena Williams’ comments about competing against guys on the tennis court. He believes Wilson’s success against men in basketball would be more impressive than Williams’s success against men in tennis. Basketball is a contact and team sport. Playing doubles tennis is not the same as competing in five-on-five basketball.
Wilson plays center at 6 feet 4, 195 pounds. There is no doubt she would be significantly undersized against NBA power forwards and centers. However, Salley believes her versatile skill set could overcome this disadvantage in a team setting. Wilson’s athleticism, speed, handle, and smooth touch around the rim could give her an edge.
It would be interesting to see how Wilson matches up against an NBA player of similar height and weight. As a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, she might hold her own defensively, but offensively, Wilson has the tools to do more than give her matchup a run for its money.
