With assist from mom, A’ja Wilson adds another career highlight: Candle entrepreneur
She poses for pregame arrival photos in a laid-back, effortless outfit at Seattle’s Climate Change Arena. A black and gold T-shirt with black shorts, socks and gold sandals can’t mean much, right?
Wrong.
“Burnt Wax. It just happens to smell good,” A’ja Wilson’s shirt says. The web address on her outfit directs viewers to the site for the candle company that the Aces star started with her mom and chief operating officer, Eva Rakes Wilson. 
The 28-year-old’s pearl-encrusted headphones are an ode to her late grandmother, Hattie Rakes, who told her as a child that the organic gemstones are an everyday necessity for any pretty girl. Every other article of clothing Wilson is wearing comes from Nike. Not to mention the two necklace pendants with her signature Nike logo and an “A” that almost looks like the Eiffel Tower.
Aces players and personnel so often use the word “intentional” to describe Wilson. When placed in her presence enough, you start to wonder if she ever does anything by accident.
No. 22 for the Aces, the WNBA organization’s all-time leading scorer made her candles available for purchase on April 2, 2021, at 2:22 p.m., and they sold out within the day.
Before even taking the court in Seattle, Wilson has made history. Makers of the popular basketball video game NBA 2K announced bright and early that she’d be featured on the cover of the forthcoming edition. By the time Wilson hits the tunnel postgame, she’s led the Aces to a significant win over the Storm and recorded her first career outing with more than 20 points and 20 rebounds — a rare phenomenon in the league she dominates. 
“I was so excited to announce my cover,” Wilson recalls. “Representing Burnt Wax felt like the perfect way to merge my passions. My personal brand, partnerships and ventures must be authentic to me and always aligned. I wanted to wear something that celebrated me.”
This is Wilson’s most exciting WNBA campaign yet, with multiple ESPY award wins in a single night to boot (best female athlete and best WNBA player). Even during the offseason, she became a New York Times bestselling author with her first book, “Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You.”
Of all Wilson’s recent endeavors and honors, Burnt Wax would be the easiest to explain to her younger self. She’s dyslexic and has never been into video games, but aromatherapy always had a place in her life.
She and her mother believe that fragrances have power, so much so that they both took their Burnt Wax products to the recent Paris Olympics. Wilson smelled her Gold Medalist and MVP scents as she starred in Team USA’s eighth consecutive women’s basketball gold medal and earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player title.
The 2023 WNBA Finals MVP says Burnt Wax also made a difference for her while she led the Aces to a repeat title last season and found herself under “a lot of pressure” late in the championship run.
“It’s incredible how something as simple as a scent can shift your mood and mindset,” Wilson adds.
Business origins
Wilson and her mother have different recollections of how the idea for Burnt Wax was born. They agree that it was Christmastime and nearly impossible to ignore the vast amount of candles Wilson already owned. Wilson claims it might have been more than 100, and she was prepared to buy more in the holiday spirit.
“The part that did it for me is when the salespeople knew what candles she already had,” Eva says.
“OK, you’re buying too many candles,” she told her soon-to-be business partner. “You know we could do this, right?”
It wasn’t hard for Eva to sell Wilson on the proposal. In fact, she had to slow her down a bit so they could research ingredients for an environmentally friendly line. She studied competitors closely before finding the perfect manufacturer to work with for the plant-based and hand-poured candles. They boast a vegetable- and coconut-based mixture with woven bamboo wicks for longer, cleaner light time.
An inspired Wilson drew up the logo, designed the packaging and came up with the idea to name each product after an accomplishment of hers.
“I was good with that,” Eva says with a laugh. “At the time, she didn’t have many.”
Eva’s instincts are part of the reason why Wilson is so comfortable handing the business over to her mom completely. Wilson is a creative, and Eva describes herself as a “serial entrepreneur.” Her experience ranges from selling Avon to starting her own purse company. Wilson mostly enjoys helping to select and fine-tune the scents. 
“She doesn’t want you to bother her unless you absolutely have to,” Eva says. “She’s like, ‘I trust you. You got this.’ ”
That doesn’t mean they always agree. They initially bumped heads about the pricing. Eva wanted the tag to represent luxury, while Wilson wanted it to be accessible. Ultimately, they compromised at $42.50 per candle.
What’s next?
Burnt Wax’s profits have increased year over year. The staff has grown, as Eva hired a social media manager for the brand’s marketing presence this year.
As recently as 2023, Eva was shipping out candles, posting on Instagram, making calls — you name it — on her own. She did it all while running the A’ja Wilson Foundation and working full time. Over her career, Eva held roles as a court stenographer and a school district employee in their hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.
Wilson changed that reality by offering her mom full financial support and convincing her to retire.
“If it was left up to A’ja, I would have never worked,” Eva says. “But it was a situation where it was almost like divine intervention It was perfect timing. She’s been in the league for seven years. … She just wanted me to be available for her, which I’m OK with because when I think back, I don’t know how I was able to do (so much).”
Both Wilson and Eva are focused on building generational wealth for their family. Eva wants her grandchildren to be able to choose to never work a 9-to-5, in the same way she has. 
They hope that Burnt Wax will become a household name but know that’s hard to do without a substantial physical presence.
Wilson’s candles are available at Uptown Gifts, a small shop in Columbia, South Carolina, the town where a statue of Wilson was erected in honor of her collegiate accomplishments as a Gamecock.
Burnt Wax is also now available at the store at the Aces’ practice facility in Henderson from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and at Michelob Ultra Arena on game days.
The candles hold such vivid memories for Wilson that she feels “transported back” to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when she smells her Gold Medalist scent.
And it’s likely that her latest gold medal from the Paris Games will inspire another candle capturing the sweet smell of Wilson’s success. ◆
