Colombia, SC – A’Ja Wilson realizes that what is delayed is not always denied.
Two -time WNBA champion and three -time league MVP proudly released its long -awaited nike signature shoes and athletic apparel collection in their hometown Columbia, South Carolina, where she has been South Carolina Gamekox at her first National Championship in 2017 at its first National Championship Help in leading and whether his college jersey retired on Sunday.
Mainly the release of pink shoe and apparel collection-which he said that it has been 10 months to reflect “girly, girly side”-it has been 10 months to learn because he signed a six-year contract with Nike. This is a deal Wilson says that there is a sign of continuous growth and interest in women’s game.
“It was just a matter of time, honestly,” Wilson said. “Because we are in it and we live it, we see how valuable and valuable we are. But now to see everyone in the basketball community, it finally means the world. To say that I can put a shoe, and to do so at home here, it is really special and I am very excited to see what to catch the future. ,
The price of shoes will be $ 110 for adult size and $ 90 for young size. It will be available to buy in spring.
At the age of 28, Wilson is one of the most recognizable faces in women’s games. She won an ESPY for Best Women Athletes in 2024 and led the Las Vegas Aces to the back-to-back WNBA Championship in 2022 and 2023. He has been named an all-star six times since entering the league after selecting No.1. Overall Draft Pick in 2018.
Many people in the world of women think about what time it took for Wilson to get his shoe deal. Last year’s sensational WNBA Ruki of the Year Ketleen Clarke signed a deal for a shoe with a nike signature ahead of Wilson.
The delay did not surprise A’aza’s father, Rosko Wilson, who called his daughter a careful planner.
“Ever since A’ja was a child, he is like this,” Rosko Wilson said. “She will be toys and collection as a child and she will line them and see them and make sure they were correctly line, then turn them around. So I just just took her in her own way. She has always been careful in her plan.
“So it is a product of his vision long ago,” he proudly said.
His daughter’s vision is not just a big deal for the Wilson family.
Wilson’s “A-One” is important for women’s game, but it is also important for the game in general, which Aprito said, a long-time sports marketing executive and professor at Columbia University.
“Companies have been cut back to custom lines for years and you don’t see it too often,” Aprito said. “They have to know that a big comeback is going to come. Companies should be very selective. So it is impressive – and it is very rare. ,
Apprito believes that the shoe will appeal especially to young women and colorful people.
“It talks to diverse audiences, not only for women, but also for the people of color,” Aprito said. “They are creating a shoe that young women can wear, can feel comfortably – and it is revolutionary.”
Wilson’s shoe deal comes at a price of $ 28 million in eight years in the last April after Clarke’s signing of the richest sponsoring contract for a female basketball player in history.
Wilson said she loves the process of choosing colors and helping shoes and collections, but she admitted that the release is “a weight from her shoulders”.
In many unique features in the design, she is a replica of tattoo that she wears on her arms- a tribute to her parents to support her over the years.
Wilson said, “To see that it is live at the end, it’s fun and I can’t wait.” “Jersey retirement was very good, but people get answers to their questions what this shoe is, it really makes my heart happy.”
Added his father Rosko Wilson: “The platform he has and the place I think he thinks has used brilliantly to make a statement about himself, which completes women’s games. She trusts her message how she takes herself and how she plays. ,