A’ja Wilson Refuses to Attach Her Name to Latest Nike Shoe Due to Very Personal Reason
With more and more WNBA stars landing signature sneakers, it was only a matter of time before A’ja Wilson a 3x WNBA MVP, a 2x WNBA champion, and a 2x Olympic gold medalist got hers! Nike has officially unveiled A’ja Wilson’s highly anticipated debut signature sneaker, the A’One which is set to drop in May 2025 alongside matching apparel and Calm Slides.
A’ja Wilson teamed up with Nike designer Ben Nethongkome to create a sneaker that matches her dominant play style prioritizing both performance and comfort which Wilson had made clear from the start. As Nethongkome put it, “She mentioned that ‘comfort is queen.’ That is something that she prioritized. We wanted to make sure that we deliver performance and comfort first.”
The “Pink Aura” launch colorway features personalized touches, including her signature logo with a star inside the “A” and Celtic symbols honoring her parents. With this release, Wilson cements her legacy as one of the game’s most influential stars.
Wilson couldn’t hide her excitement as she unveiled her signature sneaker, a moment months in the making. Beaming with pride, she said, “Sometimes as post players, you get the rep of it being a ‘big man shoe.’ I wanted to squash all of that and say, ‘No, this is an A’ja shoe and this is the A’One.’ It’s something that will be great for everyone. I wanted the best of all worlds. This is a shoe that fits me because it’s versatile and does it all.”
The A’One sneaker’s design carries deep personal significance for A’ja Wilson. At the core of the shoe is a pearl motif, inspired by a necklace her grandmother gave her as a child. Wilson recalled the incident with her grandmother, “These pearls are going to make you beautiful no matter what you look like, no matter how you’re growing into your height.” Wilson then proceeded to say why she implemented the design, “When it came to pearls, I just instantly thought of confidence and being your true self. So we kind of wanted to implement that, especially when it came to my shoes, so I can then share my pearls with the world.”
