A’ja Wilson’s Millions Worth Nike Signature Deal: Here’s What All We Know

The back-to-back WNBA champion A’ja Wilson finally delivers long-awaited news to her fans. Weeks after the No.1 overall WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark landed a mammoth new deal worth $28 million over eight years, Nike breaks in another major announcement by granting Wilson her own signature shoe. Not just that, but Wilson’s signature collection will also include a women’s, men’s, and kid’s sizing clothing line, making it an extra special contract.

By embarking on this road, A’ja Wilson will also join the ladies who led the path before. Her South Carolina coach with whom she won an NCAA championship–Dawn Staley– and her inspiration for the consecutive wins — Sheryl Swoopes — both have shoes with Nike. Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper are also among the black women to have the same honor with the sports athleisure giant. In fact, the 27-year-old center ensured that she broke the news with Dawn Staley as she made her 2024 debut in the Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina.

A’ja Wilson receives an ‘A’One’ gesture from Nike

A’ja Wilson is now part of an elite group. This includes Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe, Naomi Osaka and the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu. That is what the official website of Nike confirmed Saturday morning. The heartwarming message displayed on it had the numerous accolades of Wilson. They capped it off with “Of course, A’ja’s got a shoe”.  In addition to this, the sports shoe brand also revealed that it will be called “A’One”. The date set for its arrival will be somewhere in 2025.

Following this, the 2023 WNBA Finals MVP didn’t waste much time in sharing her elation among her followers. The 2x WNBA MVP shared posts both on her X and Instagram profiles. Seemingly, she is donning a black sweatshirt that says, “Of Course, I Have A Shoe Dot Com”.  Interestingly, this is a URL that leads directly to the announcement.

A’ja Wilson has been working with Nike for well over a year to come up with a signature collection. Apparently, she wanted it to be light and comfortable so that anyone and everyone could wear it on and off the court. On top of that, Wilson now becomes the 13th WNBA athlete to receive this distinction from any sports brand. The most recent ones are  Breanna Stewart’ and Puma launching the Stewie 1s, and Nike collaborating with Elena Delle Donne and Sabrina Ionescu with Air Deldon and Sabrina 1s respectively.

This step has been a long time coming for A’ja Wilson. Previously, the $137.27 billion company made her the face of its promotions when it launched its Nike Cosmic Unity 3. The lightweight nature is similar to that of her signature line because of the usage of 25% recycled material. Further, a prominent entity with a signature line of his own, LeBron James has been demanding it ever since the Aces clinched the championships in 2023.

Soon after this development, the 27-year-old opened up about it while talking to Andscape’s Aaron Dodson.

Wilson celebrates the special experience on her home turf

The Las Vegas have recently thrashed the Puerto Rican national team at South Carolina in a preseason clash. The defending champions were able to get a huge win as they defeated the visitors 102-50 last night. Perhaps this is the reason why the dynamic No.22 requested Nike to make the announcement parallel with her visit. She provided further insights about it by saying, “The biggest thing for me is I get to showcase what I’ve been working on for a couple of years now in my home state, in my home city. A place where people watched me grow. I raised eyebrows like, ‘Is she really that good?!’ To then seeing me in college and now in the pros.” 

Additionally, she also reflected on how she’s been rewarded for her patience. Recalling the lessons of her South Carolina coach, Dawn Staley, she added, “There’s definitely value in patience. That’s something Coach Staley has taught me that some of the best things come from waiting and ‘what’s delayed is not denied.’ That’s something I have tatted on me. That’s something I live through. So it’s something I’m going to stick through.”

Indeed, the moment turns out a special one for the back-to-back WNBA champion. The revelation surely comes as a delight for her fans who were desperately waiting for her signature collection to hit the stores. It will be an enthralling occasion in 2025 to witness the extent of its reception. And just like Wilson herself said, everyone, including her, is excited for the future and the next year when she and Nike will finally release the much-hyped product for basketball fans. The best part is that it will be a fit for everyone, no matter who you are, something that the Aces star really stressed on with the team at Nike.