February 6, 2025
A’ja Wilson’s First Signature Shoe With Nike Motivates Next Generation To ‘Go Big’
Wilson said fans will love the new Nike A'One shoe and collection because "it's real" and "it feels like it's you."
Pink is the winning color for A’ja Wilson’s first signature shoe with Nike, and the new A’One performance sneaker is designed with several hidden messages and features that will give young hoopers a motivational reminder from the three-time WNBA MVP to level up and push their limits.
The new Nike A’One is a versatile and comfortable sneaker that offers cushion, traction, and support for precise performance. “The A’One is meant to go the distance, taking control from the jump and dominating the floor on every play,” Wilson said, according to a press release by Nike. “From the beginning, we designed the shoe to both support my game and to provide young hoopers a tool to help them level up. The A’One aces that assignment, delivering exactly what I need to push my performance and inspiring the next generation to give it their all on every play.”
The design for the Nike A’One, led by Ben Nethongkome, features bold layers of pink and special signature finishes that pay homage to her parents for their support and guidance. A special detail on the exterior of the shoe reflects a pearl necklace her grandmother gifted her as a child. The shoe is filled with messages that are dear to Wilson’s journey like: “As a matter of fact, the best is yet to come” and “Weakness, weakness. We don’t have time for that.”
Unveiled in the Ellison Building at the South Carolina Fairgrounds on Feb. 4, the reveal makes Wilson the 13th WNBA athlete with a signature shoe, according to The State. The two-time WNBA champion sat down with actress Issa Rae to discuss the story behind the Nike A’One and all of its hidden features. “My signature can be on it, and it is mine, and my name is on it, but the messages behind it, the journey of how we got here, it’s so much bigger than basketball,” the WNBA star told Rae, according to The State. “It’s really a combination of a written story that I had no idea I was ever going to write, to the parents and the sacrifice and the guidance that they gave me, into a shoe…A performance shoe that everyone can wear and carry with them and implement in their own life.”
Alongside the shoe, Nike unveiled a collection of eight signature pieces that include apparel for men and women, like a Black T-shirt, a pink-cropped hoodie, a pair of Nike slides, and “A’Symmetric” tights with one leg cut midway that will give fans a chance to sport Wilson’s trendy on-the-court look. The addition of a shoe and line of apparel for kids is special to Wilson, who said she wanted the collection to welcome everybody. “I feel like that is my biggest thing, is including the next generation,” said Wilson. “So they could see someone, and they want to be that person and say, ‘No, I can be that within myself.’”
The announcement came shortly after the University of South Carolina retired Wilson’s No. 22 jersey this weekend at Colonial Life Arena. BLACK ENTERPRISE previously mentioned that Wilson, who was an integral part of the USC women’s basketball team claiming its first national title, joined Nike as a signature athlete in May 2024.
Wilson’s Nike A’One collection is coming in May 2025.
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