A’ja Wilson Named First Jr. WNBA Global Ambassador: ‘Empower Girls' Thru Hoops
Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 03:11PM NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
Photo: WNBAJuly 24, 2025: Calling it “a pivotal moment in the league’s mission to empower young girls through basketball, leadership and community,” the WNBA has named A’ja Wilson as the first Global Ambassador for the Jr. WNBA.
The two-time WNBA champion and three-time MVP with the Las Vegas Aces star will participate in a variety of areas.
That includies Jr. WNBA events hosted at NBA and WNBA marquee events that feature “on-court instruction and competition and off-court programming aimed to help girls gain confidence, face challenges, and learn the importance of physical and mental wellness.”
Wilson will also serve as the strategic advisor to the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Court of Leaders, a “comprehensive development program for select top high school basketball players who receive support and mentorship from the NBA and WNBA.”
According to Wilson via the WNBA, ”Leadership at the youth level is about self-discovery. It can vary in so many different ways because you’re still in this stage of figuring out who you are.
“It comes in friendships, and it comes in losses sometimes, but you continue to persevere and know that it’s always brighter on the other side.”
She also sees her situation as a tool for advocacy and inclusion. “I’m blessed to have a platform that can reach the masses. So I’ll continue to speak up for them, being the voice for the voiceless and giving them something they can see, dream of, and want to pursue.”
Since 2018, the NBA and WNBA "have focused on keeping girls ages 5 through 17 engaged in sports through the Jr. WNBA."
The leagues said the program “offers impactful initiatives like Belonging in Basketball resources, created in partnership with non-profit partner Girls Leadership and designed for and by girls to recruit and keep all girls in the game.”
Jr. WNBA participants also gain access to the Jr. WNBA Vision Box, “allowing girls to embrace their creativity and construct a vision board that reflects their passions, dreams, and goals for the future.”
“We really look at the Jr. WNBA as an opportunity to educate girls on different things they can do, not just as basketball players, but as young women,” Candice Haynes, director of youth basketball development, said via the WNBA,
“Whether that’s setting goals, thinking through different career opportunities, or just falling in love with the game and being a fan. We want them to look at the game of basketball as that space.” 
Haynes said that Wilson’s authenticity and relatability made her a natural choice for ambassador. “She already embodies the values of the Jr. WNBA,” Haynes said. “She genuinely cares about young people and the future of young women.”
Wilson’s commitment to youth development extends far beyond the hardwood; the same spirit of visibility and empowerment drives the A’ja Wilson Foundation, which supports young people with dyslexia in reaching their full potential through workshops, programming, and camps.
Wilson’s message to young players is simple yet powerful: “If you can see her, you can be her.” She hopes her presence in Jr. WNBA programs will help girls realize their own potential. “If I can just be seen in these spaces and make it look like, ‘Yes, they can do this. You guys are no different from me,’ that’s what I hope my role could be.”
Looking ahead, Wilson feels her work will inspire a new generation of leaders. “I would love to see someone take my space,” she said. “A young girl who was once sitting down on that basketball is now coming back when she’s a WNBA All-Star, and she’s now ‘the new A’ja.’ That is what I see for the longevity of this program.”
Back to Home Page