As Sheryl Swoopes Faces Struggles, Dawn Staley Stuns Fans with Major A’ja Wilson News

She’s the latest 3x MVP, and she’s very much in demand! A’ja Wilson just grabbed the third MVP title of her career at age 28, earning herself a spot in an elite group. With her on-court accomplishments, the LV Aces star’s off-court value has increased too, as her Nike shirts are proving. While Sheryl Swoopes continues to struggle, Dawn Staley got her hands on some new A’ja Wilson merch!

The Aces center’s coach at South Carolina, a huge supporter of her career in the WNBA, recently posted a picture of Wilson’s shirts in collab with Nike. “Got ‘em!!!@_ajawilson22 MVP jawns!! Better get yours!” While Staley finally has them, just a few days ago, Sheryl Swoopes seemed to be struggling with how to find one.

“I don’t have the app. Somebody get me one…PLEASE! I got you!” Swoopes wrote in reply to a fan ordering theirs! Nike, which had first signed with Wilson in 2018, announced the 5x WNBA All-Star as the newest member of its signature athlete roster in May, with this special edition MVP shirt already being snatched off the shelves!

Nike used Wilson’s face from the 2024 All-Star Weekend orange carpet. They also enlisted all her WNBA accolades on the back. Sadly, Swoopes remains without one still, while Dawn Staley has managed to snag one. Maybe the former pros can help each other out!

Because if there is one thing for sure, it’s that there might be more A’ja Wilson-Nike collabs in the future and fans will be ready to order them as soon as they go live. The LV Aces player had put up an Instagram story ahead of the ‘Sin City’ franchise’s first postseason matchup against the Seattle Storm. It showed her signature white t-shirt, her logo right above Nike’s Swoosh.

“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,” A’ja Wilson said in an official 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.”

While this has not been made available for sale yet, whenever Wilson appears in this t-shirt, Aces fans know it’s gonna be a good night for them. Now that she’s the unanimous M’VP, nothing can stop her from dominating off-the-court like never before.

Of course, while Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes has endless praise to offer her, so does Wilson’s former coach Dawn Staley. And her mentee even won an award named after her!

Dawn Staley is forever ingrained into A’ja Wilson’s career

From setting the critics right online to picking a fight with the person who voted Wilson in fourth place in last year’s MVP race, Dawn Staley is still vocal in her support. Likewise, the U of SC alum has been proud to call her coach and her second mother, especially after Wilson won the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award in August. “Coach Staley has been so giving to so many people throughout her life, and I’m blessed to have been able to see firsthand how she embodies the league’s community leadership award,” the Aces player said.

Even with her latest MVP victory, which put A’ja Wilson into a league of her own, Dawn Staley was not far from her thoughts. “I want to thank South Carolina and Coach Staley,” said Wilson in her acceptance speech. “I truly wouldn’t be standing here today without the hard work and sacrifices made by all those people . . . it’s humbling to walk a path paved by so many legends of this game, those who made this league what it is today.”

Needless to say, like a proud mother hen watching her offspring take over the world, Dawn Staley is looking after A’ja Wilson and the legacy she’s creating in the W. Becky Hammon may be stoking the fire currently, but it was the Hall of Famer coach who built it into a blaze in the first place.