To quote Nike: "Of course A'ja's got a shoe."
Today, Nike announced A'ja Wilson as the newest member of the brand's signature athlete roster. Next year, the brand will launch Wilson's signature shoe, aptly named the "A'One," in tandem with a collection inspired by Wilson's "distinctive style, incredible performance and unapologetic realness," Nike said in a statement.
"Becoming a signature athlete is something that I've dreamed to be," the two-time WNBA champion tells Marie Claire. "Having my own shoe—having my own collection—is something that's like: 'Yes please, let's go! Let's put these people in some A'ja gear.'"
Wilson worked closely with the brand on both the A'One—which she teases is "light and comfortable" and "can be worn anywhere and everywhere"—and her upcoming collection, which will be available in men's, women's, and children's sizing.
"I've had tons of fun just putting it all together. I'm a perfectionist," Wilson says. "So it took a little while...We didn't just wake up overnight and greatness was here—the wheels have been turning for quite a bit."
As Nike's latest signature athlete, Wilson joins the ranks of some ridiculously successful, history-making athletes and Nike collaborators, including but certainly not limited to: Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe, Naomi Osaka and Sabrina Ionescu.
Nike's announcement comes on the heels of an age-defying NCAA season for women's basketball, thanks to collegiate-turned-pro basketball stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and the recently undefeated and unparalleled South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley.
This fever-pitch moment for women's basketball (and women's sports in general) is not lost on Wilson, especially as the No. 1 draft pick and five-time all-star prepares for the launch of her signature shoe and begins the 2024 WNBA season.
"I'm so glad that we're ready for the moment," she explains. "We're not new to this. We're true to this.'"
"So it's really, really, just been amazing just to be a part of this growth, and just to flourish within it," she continues. "Now all eyes are on us. Now we can really perform."
The two-time WNBA MVP knows how important it is for Black and brown girls to see themselves represented on the court, both during primetime television and in a Nike signature line.
"The partnership from the beginning was a 'pinch me' moment," she explains. "For [Nike] to say 'we want you to be a signature athlete'...that's huge, particularly for someone who looks like me.
She adds: "I love using that avenue and that tool to uplift the next generation and say: 'Yes, you can wear the shoe, but believe that you can get a shoe as well.'"
For more details, visit ofcourseihaveashoe.com.
