The WNBA’s reigning Finals MVP and arguably the best player is finally getting her own signature shoes. After all the uproar due to Nike signing rookie Caitlin Clark to a contract instead of the established WNBA stars, the sneaker giants announced their partnership with Wilson a few months ago. While the 28-year-old is busy leading Team USA to its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris, rumors about the possible sneaker design for the Nike A’One, which is set to be released in the summer of 2025, are doing the rounds. How much of it is true, though?

The recent episode of the Locked On podcast presented by Gigi Speer served as the platform for one of the guests, Peter Verry, to share some juicy insights on the Nike A’One. At first, he talked about his conversation with Wilson and his observations on her choice of footwear.

“She said some things to me that kind of surprised me. Like if you’ve noticed everything she has worn on the court in recent years, she was the face of the cosmic unity franchise and she has been wearing LeBrons and they are very sturdy shoes, made for someone who is bigger on the court. And, A’ja is 6-foot-7 so, she needs something that’s sturdy, right?” Verry revealed on the podcast.

He then elaborated on his conversation with the Las Vegas Aces star regarding the upcoming sensation. However, he met with some confusion. “But, then she was talking about everything about the shoe and I’m like, ‘Wait a second, that sounds more along the lines of Kobe silhouette than like a LeBron.’ She said it’s a low top which she typically doesn’t wear on the court, it’s very versatile and she said, the key thing for her, besides from the fact that she wants people to be able to wear it off the court, she needed like 40 minutes of comfort built into that shoe.”

Not once, not twice, but numerous times A’ja Wilson has donned LeBron James’ signature shoes while playing on the court. Even more, she has worn the LeBron 22 in white and red during practice for the Paris Olympic games, representing the colors of the USA.

Then again, Verry recalled his interpretation of what Wilson told him about the shoe and said, “When I went into it I was thinking something along the lines of a LeBron kind of built to it, but now it sounds totally different… Nike has been super tight-lipped on this, she’s been super tight-lipped on this, so it’s like we get these little bits of information.” 

If we look at Verry’s conclusions, the shoe can be inspired by both LeBrons and Kobes. However, it is still a mystery how it might actually turn out, as Wilson has been involved in the process for more than a year.

When Nike introduced A’ja Wilson as a signature athlete

Earlier this year, Wilson posted a picture of her wearing a black crop hoodie with the phrase – Of Course, I Have A Shoe Dot Com written on it in white, as Nike introduced A’ja Wilson as the newest member of its signature athlete family. This came as the brand’s continuing endeavor to expand sport for the next generation.

With all the noise going on around Wilson not getting a signature shoe, even after the Indiana Fever rookie, Caitlin Clark did. Meanwhile, Wilson has been quietly working with the brand for more than a year to give her upcoming shoe a more distinctive style and authenticity.

When the brand made the announcement, they did it in an interestingly witty fashion, shutting down the voices that were gathering around, questioning them. Whatever the buzz may be right now, for sure it is going to be a whole lot bigger when the Nike A’One sees the light of day, so stay tuned!

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger