A’ja Wilson joins the Greek Freak, Cristiano Ronaldo on this prestigious top-50 list

She’s been almost unstoppable on the court. Now, former South Carolina women’s basketball great A’ja Wilson is being recognized for her power off it.

Bleacher Report Magazine released its list of the 50 most influential people in sports culture for 2018 on Monday, and Wilson, now a WNBA All-Star with the Las Vegas Aces, made the cut alongside some of the world’s greatest athletes.

Included under the list’s section of those who have “leveled up,” Wilson was included alongside soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim, two-way MLB phenom Shohei Ohtani and NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, among others.

Bleacher Report introduced its rankings as a “definitive list of the most influential people in sports culture,” defining that as the “power within people to influence lives through sports, and for sports to change our culture for good.”

In a profile published alongside the list, Bleacher Report writer Natalie Weiner called Wilson the “new face of the WNBA” and described her stardom in Columbia on and off the court.

In her rookie season, Wilson has led the Aces to contention for a playoff spot and ranks in the top 10 of the league in points, rebounds and blocks per game. She will play in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 28.

In her final year at South Carolina, Wilson won unanimous national player of the year honors and led the Gamecocks to the Elite Eight for a third time in her four seasons at USC. At her graduation, the university announced it will build a statue in her honor at Colonial Life Arena.

This story was originally published July 23, 2018 at 5:38 PM.