Seattle Storm took down the Atlanta Dream, 80-78, on Friday, with Storm guard Erica Wheeler rocking the Anthony Edwards' Adidas AE 1 with the purple colorway.Wheeler expressed her thoughts on social media about the shoes. The guard said that she was amused to wear the shoes but is looking forward to see the AE 2."100000% agree, but the AE 2 are insaneeeee!," she wrote on X.Wheeler played 18 minutes against the Dream and put up one rebound, one assist and one steal. She's averaging 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game this WNBA season.The Storm are battling for a playoff seed, sitting in the eighth spot with a 17-18 record.The AE 1 has been a popular shoe in the basketball community over the past year. Meanwhile, its successor, the AE 2, has picked up steam from sneaker fans early this year and is set to release in late 2025 or early 2026.The shoe is the first signature sneaker of Anthony Edwards, who has quickly risen into superstardom in the NBA after leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to deep playoff runs in the past two years.Erica Wheeler credits Storm coaches in newfound confidence with new teamErica Wheeler has been a key cog for the Storm this season. In an interview by the Seattle Times, she cited the team's coaching staff for making her feel confident in her game this season.“If you see me as a person, I’m a free person. I do let loose a lot," Wheeler said. "I’m the one that gets everybody going when it comes to fun. You know, I’m the one that brings the energy, and then, you know, and the coaching staff just instilled that confidence in me to just be who I am.”Erica Wheeler was with the Indiana Fever last season, playing as a backup point guard behind Caitlin Clark. In her role, she played limited minutes and was often outshone by her younger teammates.In Seattle, Wheeler felt that she found vindication in her career."A lot of people thought maybe I was washed up because I didn’t play last year, so just being able to have that opportunity to do what I love, and do it with people who want me to do what I do, makes it even better,” she said.Erica Wheeler, who's averaging 26.8 minutes per game, is expected to play a huge role in the team's playoff push as they enter the final stretch of the season.