Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson’s withdrawal from the FIBA World Cup caused a stir online. The WNBA star had cited ongoing health issues as the reason behind her decision, namely a recurring back soreness that put her on the Aces’ injury report, per ESPN.

A recent X post by Underdog WNBA mentioned Aces head coach Becky Hammon’s take on the situation. The head coach called out critics questioning Wilson’s decision, stating that no one would indulge in speculation if Wilson was an NBA player.

“A'ja has every right to do what she feels best health wise. 
And the other thing is, the men do this all the time,” Hammon said, per the X post. “Can you name me any of the men's world championship rosters right now? Can you name me any person on there? ... If this was a man making this decision, there would be nothing to say. And that's my problem." 

The September 10 Underdog WNBA X post credited USA Today writer Callie Fin with providing Hammon’s comments on the situation.

Some analysts have speculated that Wilson might have chosen to sit out the tournament due to jealousy regarding the media attention surrounding Indiana fever guard Caitlin Clark.

According to USA Today, Hammon pushed back against such theories, stating that Wilson knew her body and had simply gone for what worked best for her health.

However, fans lashed out at Hammon, clearly disagreeing with her stance. 

Fans criticize Hammon’s comment regarding A’ja Wilson’s FIBA exit 

Many fans flooded the comments section of the Underdog WNBA X post, speaking out against Hammon’s comments on Wilson skipping the World Cup.

Many fans felt that the player was prioritizing her league record and MVP run over ensuring the USA’s win at the international basketball tournament.

“Find me an example of the best American men’s players being selected for the FIBA World Cup or the Olympics and ditching the team the day they are supposed to board the flight like A’ja. Not wanting to play at all is lame but much different than what A’ja did,” one such commenter wrote.

Others praised Hammon for sticking up for the Aces player, but criticized her making it a gender issue.

“Becky lost me when she made it about gender. A’ja has every right to sit out, and fans have every right to criticize her. Equality means you don’t get immunity from criticism either,” one fan commented.

One fan insisted that Hammon’s belief that an NBA player opting out in a similar fashion would go unquestioned was baseless.

“Or, hear me out, we’d be critical of a man doing same thing, Becky,” they wrote.

Some fan comments suggested that they saw Wilson’s decision as abandoning her national team at the eleventh hour. 

“Theres a difference between declining the opportunity upfront (which many of the men’s players do) vs committing to it and dropping out at the last minute. This has nothing to do with gender,” one such comment said.

Yet others saw the comment as a confirmation that Wilson didn’t see the FIBA stage as important enough. But the issue they pointed out was that the Aces center hadn’t given the team any prior notice about her condition.

“So becky confirms A'ja just decided shed rather take a vacation than represent her country bc the euro stage is "beneath" her. Thats fine, but no notice is where shes just straight grimey for it,” one such fan stated.

The overall verdict was that it wasn’t Wilson’s decision to sit out the FIBA World Cup that irked fans, but the lack of notice beforehand.

Hammon’s comments, on the other hand, caught flak due to her NBA comparison, which fans saw as an attempt to shift attention away from the actual issue.

Written by

Arundhoti Palit