When nine-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner once publicly challenged DeMarcus Cousins to a one-on-one game, several NBA players laughed it off, recognizing how unrealistic the matchup would be while still appreciating the audacity behind the challenge. Most understood that Griner had gotten ahead of herself competitively, yet the moment was treated as harmless bravado.
However, when most recently A’ja Wilson recently proclaimed that she would beat Josh Hart 11-8 in a 1v1 contest, Jeff Teague drew a firm line, bluntly stating how the for-time WNBA MVP would struggle even against male collegiate athletes.
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Teague debunks all the beliefs about Wilson
There is no countering A’ja’s domination in women’s basketball. For many, she might already be considered the greatest of all time, given her accomplishments: four MVPs, three DPOY accolades, and three WNBA championships in just eight years.
That resume understandably gives her immense confidence. As a result, during a recent interaction with New York Knicks’ Hart and Jalen Brunson, Wilson didn’t hesitate to assert how she would easily beat Hart in a one-on-one matchup, and more notably, defeat one of the grittiest NBA defenders by at least three to four points.
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Josh, in a lighthearted manner, pushed back, reminding A’ja how the score would be in his favor by a wide margin. However, when Wilson’s comments reached Teague, his response was far from playful. The former NdBA point guard subtly emphasized the stark difference in physicality, athleticism, and competitive level between WNBA players and male athletes playing at any level, concluding that such comparisons are flat-out absurd.
“No, no, not one. He is really gonna beat your a—,” the 2021 NBA champion said on his “Club 520” podcast. “She not beating a ni—a in the G-League. She not beating a ni—a in college.”
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WNBA players need to stop this trend of throwing challenges
While WNBA players undeniably possess elite skill within their own competition, repeatedly asserting superiority over NBA players in hypothetical scenarios often backfires. Instead of strengthening their legacy, it invites unnecessary cross-gender comparisons that tend to diminish, rather than enhance, appreciation for their achievements.
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The playing style of men’s and women’s basketball, though rooted in the same fundamentals, is played under vastly different physical and athletic conditions. Ultimately, while Wilson’s confidence is understandable and even admirable, such boasts create openings for critics to shift the conversation away from her unquestioned dominance within the WNBA.
Wilson’s accolades and impact have never required validation through imagined matchups against NBA players. In a landscape where no one disputes her greatness among her peers, engaging in these hypotheticals only allows potential critics like Teague to reframe the discussion around limitations rather than legacy, despite the apparent differences in men’s and women’s games at all levels.
But who knows if the reigning WNBA MVP and DPOY wants to prove her point, she might actually challenge a legit NBA player and test out her chops. It would be a fun watch either way, no doubt about it.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
