Nike signs legendary Gamecock A’ja Wilson to an “A’ONE” signature sneaker.
According to Boardroom, the initiative has been in the works for more than a year. Launching in the spring of next year is the plan. A branded clothing line and signature slides in child and adult sizes will be available to go with the sneaker.
“Working with Nike to fulfill my dream of owning a collection has been amazing, and it’s truly an honor to advance and become a Nike signature athlete,” Wilson said in an interview with Boardroom. We’ve worked hard to ensure that every detail, from my emblem to the shoe’s appearance and the components throughout the collection, is precisely tailored to my game and style.
Since Candace Parker in 2010, she is the first black player in the WNBA to receive a signature shoe. In 1999, Nike released the Nike Zoom S5, a sneaker designed in honor of Stan Lee.
After the Aces won their first championship in 2022, according to Wilson’s agent, Jade-Li English, Nike “hopped into place to secure building her a signature shoe business.” During a 2023 Nike picture shoot at a nearby Miami high school, Wilson was shown a film featuring her former coach Dawn Staley by business executives. Wilson was informed by Staley in the video that she would be receiving her signature sneaker.
Wilson started working on her shoe design that fall and informed the Nike team right away that she needed permissions for every element of her trademark line.
To alleviate the need for bonnets for those with textured hair, she specifically requested silk inside hoodies and “pearlized elements and detailing” in remembrance of her late grandmother, Hattie Rakes.
Wilson received her first pair of pearls from Rakes when she was a young girl. Rakes had instructed her, “A pretty girl always wears her pearls.”
Wilson wore the jewelry all through her time at South Carolina, even during pregame warm-ups. Every seat in the lower bowl of Colonial Life Arena received a plastic white beaded necklace on her senior day, courtesy of the gameday crew.