South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley showed up at the Nike store in Las Vegas to suport her former player, A'ja Wilson, who dropped her first signature shoes, A'One, which comes in "Pink A'ura," on Tuesday.
Dawn Staley has always supported A'ja's ventures over her college as well as her WNBA career. Fans were abuzz as coach Staley penned a message for A'ja to express pride over the success of her new signature brand with Nike.
"@aja22wilson pulled up at the Nike store in Las Vegas to see your movement and it is stunning. So proud of you and the impact you just keep having on US US US!! Nike thank you for doing your BIG A’One for her!," Staley wrote.
You had a hand in this, a fan wrote
I love it!!!, another fan adored
I couldn’t event get those shoes in my cart!!, a fan regretted not getting a pair
Here are some more comments from the excited fans.
I'm sooo mad!!!! I didn't get my pair. Where are the stores!!!, a fan exclaimed
They did the Big one on this launch, another fan commented
I was so mad I couldn’t get a pair this morning!, a fan commented
Many fans couldn't even get a pair.
A'Ja Wilson reflects on debuting her signature Nike shoes
A'ja Wilson expressed her excitement after debuting her first Nike signature shoe on Tuesday. The first batch of the "A'One" sneaker were designed in pink colors, with more colors expected in the future.
Wilson reflected on the design inspiration.
"My signature shoe is everything I need, engineered for my game and my style — and built to motivate the next generation to go big," Wilson said in Tuesday's release.
"From the beginning, we designed the shoe to both accentuate my game and to provide young hoopers a tool to help them push their limits."
"The A’One is meant to go the distance, taking control from the jump and dominating the floor on every play," the WNBA star added.
The Nike A’One signature basketball shoe took two years to complete. Its design is personal to Wilson, with the the Celtic symbols for "mother" and "father" added to honor her parents.
The outsole is inscribed with a popular saying of her late grandmother: "As a matter of fact, the best is yet to come." There's a postgame quote on the heel that represents Wilson's philosophy on the court: “Weakness, weakness. We don’t have time for that.”
A'Ja Wilson first signed with Nike as a rookie in 2018 before becoming the sportswear brand's signature athlete in May 2024.
The former South Carolina women's basketball star will become the 14th WNBA athlete across brands to receive her own signature shoe when it's released on May 15.
She will join stars like Breanna Stewart, Elena Delle Donne, Sabrina Ionescu and her former coach Staley. Other iconic stars in the footwear collection include Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.
A'Ja Wilson's A'One shoes are available to both adults and kids. Meanwhile, the former South Carolina star is set to release an eight-piece apparel collection that includes foam slides, T-shirts, shorts and cropped tops.
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