Advertisement

Usher responds to A'ja Wilson's calls, invites her and Aces to Las Vegas residency

Callie Lawson-Freeman
Contributing writer
·3 min read
Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson celebrates during a rally to celebrate the team's WNBA championship Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

When in search of encouragement to keep shooting your shot, look no further than A'ja Wilson. It took a while, but she finally heard back from Usher after inviting him to two championship parades in a row.

"A’ja Wilson, I got yo’ message. I see you. I hear you," Usher said in a video posted to social media Wednesday. "Couldn’t be at the parade, but wanted to send this out to you to say congratulations and all the lovely ladies that once again, did it again. That’s right, back-to-back baby!”

Naturally, he also extended an invitation of his own.

“Come see me do it my way here in Vegas," he said, referencing his "My Way" Las Vegas residency. "We stick together. We love one another. Congratulations on this date, and I’ll see you soon.”

The 2023 Finals MVP offered nothing but a swooning GIF in response:

Her excitement is understandable, considering just how persistent she was. It all started when Wilson and the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun for the title in 2022.

"But Usher, I better see you, Usher. I'm not playing with you," the 27-year-old said as she clutched a bottle of Champagne. The demand came as she described her vision for the parade, immediately after she mandated everyone to drink four shots of something before attending.

He didn't show up to the championship celebration. But he seemingly attempted to make it right by popping up to the Aces' gym in April. The only problem? Wilson wasn't there. Wilson logged off while fans reacted to a photo of teammate Jackie Young with the eight-time Grammy award winner.

"Goodnight everyone," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, with a straight-faced emoji.

This year, after leading the Aces to the first consecutive WNBA championship since 2001-02, she tried again:

She even offered Usher a public reminder a day before the parade, but he still didn't join the Aces as they partied through the streets of Las Vegas.

Teammate Sydney Colson reacted to Usher's invitation, noting that it seemed to be just for Wilson. The reserve guard was +17 in the box score of the one-point game for the title, contributing two points and an assist off the bench.

Wilson joked about the points in her response to Colson:

Colson can be heard shouting Adele's name in the postgame news conference that eventually summoned Usher. Maybe she'll get her own invite since the English singer-songwriter also has a residency in Las Vegas.

If not, it seems likely every Aces player will get to see Usher's show. He'll also appear on a screen near most Americans when he headlines the Super Bowl halftime show in February.