"My goal is to not just to be the best basketball player that I can be, but to also inspire the next ..." — A'ja Wilson

Greatness takes a lot of time.

When I was growing up, the hardest part for me was that when I looked around I didn't see anyone who looked like me. If my school was 10% Black, it was probably 3% Black girls. All the teachers - shout-out to them - were white. Except one. We had one Black female teacher.

As Black women, there's so much pressure on us to be everything to everyone. We're expected to wear so many different hats, and to juggle so many different roles - and to do it all with a smile.

I was a really weird kid. My head was huge. I had a skinny body, long arms. My kneecaps were oddly big. I was awkward, quiet, shy. When I would smile, I would never really show my teeth.