Aces star announces breakthrough Nike shoe deal — EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Nike introduced the two-time WNBA MVP as part of its signature athlete roster Saturday, a move that came ahead of the Aces’ preseason game against the Puerto Rico national team at South Carolina, Wilson’s alma mater.

The idea for the Wilson-centric exhibition game was born when the Aces organization struggled to find a voluntary opponent for Wilson and her dominant team, the back-to-back league champions.

Wilson is no stranger to winning. That’s why she and Nike agreed to share their longtime secret from the house that she built. The A’One is coming in spring 2025.

She entered Colonial Life Arena wearing a cropped sweatshirt that read “Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com,” as Nike issued a release with the same phrasing.

“As one of the most iconic basketball players of her generation, of course Wilson got a signature shoe,” the shoe giant said.

Wilson is now, officially, the first Black WNBA player to have a signature line since 2010.

Her apparent lack of a deal became a hot topic with fans in the wake of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark’s reported $28 million signature shoe deal with Nike.

Until Clark and Wilson’s shoes come out, the only two active WNBA players with signatures are on the New York Liberty: Breanna Stewart (Puma) and Sabrina Ionescu (Nike). Elena Delle Donne also has a shoe with Nike, but she is stepping away from the game this season.

Stewart, who had to leave Nike for the shoe deal she wanted, said when training camps opened that Wilson should have her own line.

‘Wanted it to be perfect’

Wilson spoke to the Review-Journal ahead of Saturday’s big reveal, opening up about the challenging business and design process, along with her choice to keep it all to herself.

“We’ve been working on this for a couple of years now, and I just wanted it to be perfect,” Wilson said. “I didn’t want this to be something that was just like a handout. I wanted for people to understand that this is coming from me. It took a lot of time, a lot of hard conversations with Nike and my team in order for us to get this product.”

Wilson was the WNBA draft’s No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina in 2018. Under coach Dawn Staley, she led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA basketball championship the previous year.

She signed a partnership deal with Nike upon leaving the Under Armour-sponsored university in her hometown and turning pro. Now, she’s entering her seventh year in the league.

“Greatness takes a lot of time,” Wilson said when asked how the announcement aligns with what her signature line represents. “Why not do it in a place where they literally watched me grow up from preschool to now?”

Her college career was so decorated that it warranted a statue in her honor, which her Aces teammates gleefully took photos with upon arriving in Columbia on Friday.

All of Wilson’s accomplishments considered, questions were being posed about Wilson’s shoe deal (or presumed lack thereof) as recently as Friday.

“There’s a market out here for A’ja Wilson,” ESPN women’s basketball analyst LaChina Robinson said during the WNBA’s season tipoff conference call. “Wilson is one of the best players in the world. Why doesn’t she have a signature shoe?”

Controlling the narrative

Until now, Nike and Wilson opted to avoid answering that question. The 27-year-old said she had her reasons for that decision.

“I wanted to be in full control of the narrative and the agenda when it comes to my shoe,” Wilson said. “Because it’s been talked about in a lot of different ways.”

She said she loved that she could scroll through social media and dismiss some opinions because she knew they were coming from a place of complete ignorance of her situation. She said she saw every direct message, post and question, but didn’t feel like she could share until the shoe was done. With the news soon to be out, Wilson said she already felt relief.

“I think this has to be the most rewarding part,” Wilson said. “The weight is lifted off of my shoulders.”

Nike had previously included Wilson in Player Exclusive models via the Cosmic Unity sneaker line and the LeBron 21.Those editions were inspired by her. She’s in control of her signature line, with the help of Ben Nethongkome, the lead footwear designer for her collection.

For Wilson, the most difficult moments of the process have included advocating for herself.

“A conversation needed to be had where it was just like, what do we want this shoe to be?” Wilson said. “This can’t just be an ordinary shoe — because this is something that has been long overdue in a sense, in my eyes.”

At the same time, Wilson said Nike had its own timeline and design constraints.

“We kinda had to meet in the middle,” she said.

WNBA legend Candace Parker, now president of Adidas women’s basketball, introduced her third collection with Adidas last year. She was the only active Black WNBA player with a signature shoe before she retired ahead of training camp following one season with the Aces. Wilson is also the first Black women’s basketball player since Sheryl Swoopes in 2002 to have a signature shoe with Nike.

Those facts aren’t lost on Wilson.

“I understand exactly how hard it is to get to this point, and it’s not necessarily on the court,” Wilson said. “It’s hard to climb up that ladder and get to the mountaintop because everyone’s gonna have something to say. Everyone’s like, ‘OK, she’s not marketable.’”

She’s glad that Nike sees otherwise, and she’s taking the lessons from the creative process into her daily life.

“That’s what I’ve been grateful about with this whole process,” Wilson said.”No matter what, I’m gonna achieve all my goals and dreams.”

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.