"You now have the highest [scoring] game among active players in the NBA. The person sitting next to you is tied for the WNBA scoring record and the most among active players in the WNBA. Just how do you both sort of process the events of this evening?"
BAM ADEBAYO on what it meant to have his girlfriend, A'JA WILSON be there for his record setting 83 point night. | WAS @ MIA 3.10.26
The morning air in Vegas was warm but breezy, the kind of morning that made everything feel possible. You rolled over in bed, your arm instinctively reaching out, but the sheets beside you were cool. A'ja was already up.
You sat up, rubbing sleep from your eyes and catching a glimpse of her reaction in the mirror. She was standing in front of the dresser, twisting her hair up into a high bun, already dressed in Nike gear. Her jersey peeked out beneath a black hoodie, and her favorite gold chain that you had gifted her hung over her chest.
"You're staring," she said with a smirk, not even turning around.
"Yeah," you croaked sleepily, "I tend to do that when I wake up to a goddess in my room."
She turned, grinning. "You really lay it on thick first thing in the morning, huh?"
"Only when I know it works."
She walked over, leaned down, and kissed your forehead. "Come with me today."
"To your Nike shoot?"
"Yeah. It's at the park. We're doing the big ad today, the one with the song. A whole bunch of kids are gonna be there. Real neighborhood vibes. I want you there."
You blinked a few times. "You're not gonna be nervous having your girlfriend watching you work?"
"Please," she laughed, grabbing her keys. "You're the calm to my chaos. I need you there."
The court was already buzzing when you and A'ja arrived. Music thumped low in the background, bouncing off the blacktop and mixing with the sound of bouncing basketballs and children's laughter. Bright-colored cones were laid out across the pavement, makeshift hoops set at different heights, and a whole team of Nike staff moved with military precision around the set.
A'ja grabbed your hand as you both stepped onto the court.
"I'm probably gonna be locked in for most of the day," she said, squeezing your fingers. "But I'm glad you're here. Stay close, alright?"
You nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before she jogged off to meet the director near the mural, the giant one with her painted mid-crossover, eyes locked in. She looked like a superhero. Like a legend.
You wandered off to the sidelines, sipping water from your bottle and watching as a group of kids clutched basketballs nearly half their size, eyes wide every time A'ja so much as glanced their way.
One little girl in an oversized Las Vegas Aces jersey was struggling to dribble. The ball kept rolling off her foot and bouncing out of bounds, and you could see her frustration start to build as she stomped her tiny sneaker.
"Hey," you called gently, crouching to her level. "Need a teammate?"
She looked at you with wary eyes, then gave a slow nod.
You smiled and walked her back to the court. "Alright, let me see your dribble. But try one hand at a time, like this."
You started demonstrating slowly, bouncing the ball low, keeping control. She watched with furrowed brows, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth like she was solving a puzzle. She copied you, the ball wiggling all over the place but staying in bounds.
"You got it!" you cheered, clapping.
Her face lit up, "Really?"
"Totally, you're gonna be better than me in a week."
"You play too?"
You laughed, "Not like A'ja does, but yeah. Sometimes."
She took your hand and tugged. "Will you play with me?"
And just like that, you were surrounded.
Kids must've smelled the kindness on you because within five minutes, a cluster had formed. You ran light drills, red light, green light with a basketball, dribble races across cones, even a one-on-one game where one girl tried to dunk on your head with a foam ball and screamed in triumph when she did.
"BOOM!" she shouted. "I posterized you!"
You collapsed onto the ground dramatically, tongue out, making all the kids laugh. "Not the poster! I got posterized! Somebody call ESPN!"
One boy probably seven or eight crawled onto your lap as you sat up. He looked up at you with serious eyes. "Are you A'ja's wife?"
You froze for a second, then smiled. "I'm her girlfriend."
He nodded thoughtfully. "You should be her wife, you're nice. She needs a nice person."
Your heart thudded in your chest. "Well, thank you. I'll... let her know you said that."
"I can be the flower boy," he added, totally serious.
You were about to reply when another child tripped while running a cone drill and scraped her elbow. You were up in an instant, gently brushing off the gravel from her skin.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," you said softly. "We got you."
She was blinking back tears, lip trembling.
"Wanna know a secret?" you whispered. She nodded. "You are so tough, that little scratch? That's nothing compared to how strong you are. Can I clean it for you?"
She gave you a tiny, tearful nod, and you walked her over to a cooler where the Nike staff kept a small first-aid kit. You gently dabbed it clean, applied a little ointment, and then peeled back a bandage shaped like a unicorn.
"Unicorns heal everything," you told her.
"I like unicorns."
"Me too."
She gave you a quiet hug around your middle, and for a second, you held her like she was your own.
From across the court, A'ja stood frozen.
Her crew was setting up another shot, the camera ready, the boom mic floating above her head, but her focus was locked on you. She watched the way your brow furrowed with concern, the way your hand held that little girl so gently, the way your body moved with ease through the chaos of youth. Her teammates had told her she looked good in red and black.
But nothing looked more natural than you with a child in your arms.
"A'ja?" the director called. "You good?"
She nodded, forcing her eyes back to the lens. "Yeah, sorry. Just... got a little distracted."
Later, after wrapping the first segment, A'ja jogged over to where you were sitting on the edge of the court, one toddler in your lap and another resting their head on your shoulder.
"You openin' a daycare I don't know about?" she teased.
You looked up, smiling. "Just making friends."
She sat down beside you, nodding toward the little boy curled up against your side. "He dozed off on you?"
"Out like a light," you said softly. "He told me he wants to grow up and be like you. Said he's been watching you since he was four and a half."
A'ja looked down at him, her expression melting into something so full of love you thought your chest might burst.
You leaned your head against her shoulder. "They adore you, you know."
"I'm just hoopin'," she murmured.
"No, you're inspiring."
She turned her face slightly toward you, voice lower now. "I ain't gonna lie... watching you with them like this? It's doing something to me."
You met her gaze. "Like what?"
She let out a slow breath, "Like I'm watching my future, our future. I see you holding this sleepy little dude and showing another how to shoot, and suddenly all I can think about is... what it would be like to do this for real. Like, to have a little one of our own."
Your heart skipped a beat.
"Are you saying you want to be a mom?" you asked gently, not wanting to push.
"I'm saying I want us to be parents, one day. Watching you today? I knew I loved you, but that feeling it deepened. Like, all I could think was... That's the person I want raising a kid with me."
You looked at her, emotion brimming in your eyes. "Babe... I'd raise a whole team with you if I could."
A'ja grinned. "Alright now, let's start with one. I still like sleep."
You both laughed, and she leaned in to kiss you soft, sweet, and full of promise. Around you, the sun blazed brighter, the world spun on, and the kids shrieked in joy as they raced for popsicles. But in that moment, it was just you and A'ja two hearts pressed together, already dreaming about what the future could hold.
Back at your apartment, the Nike shoot a fond memory, you were curled up on the couch in sweats, her head in your lap, scrolling through photos taken earlier that day.
"This one's my favorite," you said, showing her a picture of you holding hands with two kids while A'ja stood in the background, grinning wide.
She smiled, eyes a little glossy. "You were made for this."
"For what?"
"For love, for caring, for building something bigger than yourself. I see it every time I look at you."
You leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Whatever we build... I'm doing it with you."
A'ja reached up and took your hands in hers. "I'm on top, top, top," she whispered with a wink, "but only 'cause you got my heart, heart, heart."
You burst into laughter, "Did you just remix your own song for me?"
"Hell yeah, I did," she said proudly. "They should've put that in the song."
And maybe they should have. Because there was no doubt A'ja might've been on top of the world...
Important Research: WNBA Wink Challenge
