Nike has tapped Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson to its family of signature shoe athletes. As the WNBA season is coming up, we’re seeing an uptick of attention rising to the female league. Wilson’s signature shoe just proves that she’s one of the greats and is leading a legacy in the next chapter of women’s basketball.
The professional basketball player worked meticulously alongside the Nike team to create a signature shoe that embodied innovation and her distinctive style. The team focused on releasing a premiere product designed for incredible performance without compromising style. Wilson is one of the most iconic players on the court these days, so she got a shoe. The announcement didn’t need to be subtle as she earned it. She revealed on her Instagram her signature shoe with a black Nike hoodie with the text, “Of course I have a shoe dot com.”
“It’s been incredible working with Nike toward a dream of having my collection, and it really is an honor to take this next step and become a Nike signature athlete,” said Wilson in a statement. “From my logo to the look of the shoe and the pieces throughout the collection, we’ve worked to make sure every detail is perfectly tuned to my game and style,” she added.
Nike’s lead footwear designer Ben Nethongkome said that Wilson took the lead, naturally, when creating the shoe with a clear intention on her aesthetics and performance priorities for the shoe. “She’s a natural leader. I think her team is built around her and she’s able to be that leader, that voice. She makes everyone feel comfortable to be who they are. And that, I feel like, was the secret sauce in working together on this collection,” said Nethongkome in a statement.
Wilson described the design process with Nike as gratifying all while not realizing a designing a shoe takes so much. The team had asked her to ensure the shoe was light and comfortable to play on the court for hours all while looking good. Her shoe is versatile in response to those requests. “I hope people will wear it when they’re hooping but also just when they’re walking around every day. It’s so exciting to be sharing my signature, a piece of me, with the world,” she said.
Wilson is among other huge names as part of the Nike signature shoe roster with Olympian Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe, Naomi Osaka, and Sabrina Ionescu. Women who have dedicated their careers to proving people wrong and empowering young women and girls to go for their goals audaciously. Wilson hopes for girls to wear her shoes and feel that they believe in themselves. “I want them to hopefully lace them up, feel powerful and understand that nobody can stop them from their dreams. Set those goals high. Go get them—that’s the biggest thing,” Wilson reflected.
Wilson’s signature collection will include women’s, men’s, and children’s sizing. It will be released at selected retailers in 2025 including nike.com and the SNKRS app.
