The surge in popularity for the WNBA is at an all-time high. Since the W added top-notch names like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and other college favorites, it has only given more press to some of the players who have been holding the league down.
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One of those players is Aces superstar A’ja Wilson. The 29-year-old is a two-time champion, three-time league MVP, and one-time Finals MVP. She deserves her flowers more than most. And NBA icon LeBron James is ready to give them to the Top Tier Cover Girl.
The King is currently in Shanghai doing a Nike press tour to promote his 23rd season and his 23rd LeBron shoe. The future Hall of Famer was asked to give his thoughts on some of his favorite players from the W who also have their own personal shoe, and Wilson was the first name out of his lips.
“Obviously, I’m A’ja from top to bottom. She repped the LeBron brand for so many years until she got her own silhouette, and she still rocks with me,” he stated. But it wasn’t just because of Wilson’s loyalty to the LeBron sneaker. LBJ loves the Aces center because of the joy she brings to his daughter Zhuri.
“And my daughter is, like, in love with her, so she’s family, you know? So when it comes to seeing A’ja and some of the other athletes not only wearing their own signature shoes in their respective league, but also those shoes crossing over to where you now see guys wearing their silhouettes, I think it’s super dope,” he stated.
You can always tell that LeBron is sincere when he brings his own family into the conversation. The smile he has whenever he speaks about Zhuri is impossible to ignore. Family is family. And that’s how James feels about the WNBA players who’re clearly role models for his daughter and millions of girls across the world.
“You know, it’s one big family. We’re all trying to figure out how we can continue to push the game forward and inspire the youth and inspire the next generation, as we mentioned earlier. And A’ja and the rest of [the WNBA], they do it.”
Wilson made headlines with her latest Nike A’One sneaker, putting her in an echelon of women’s hoopers that very few have entered. Along with taking inspiration from her parents and grandmother, she’s installed a fair bit of tech into the shoe to intertwine story with performance.
Funnily enough, A’ja is far from the only WNBA player who has a sneaker that is growing in the public’s eye. 26-year-old sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu from the New York Liberty has one of the most popular basketball sneakers in general, the Sabrina 1s.
Sabrina took over the world with her own Nike signature line
Some NBA players were even surprised by its growth. “I don’t remember last time a woman’s shoe has been popping the way this has,” said Pacers sensation Tyrese Haliburton during an interview with ESPN. “The silhouette and feel of them kind of feel like an old Kobe,” Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson said in the same interview. “They’re super comfortable. The design is nice.”
They’re not alone. “As far as looks go, I think they’re one of the best shoes in the league,” Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun told ESPN.
The W isn’t just riding a wave of popularity. It’s building something that feels lasting. With icons like Wilson setting the standard and new stars like Clark and Ionescu pushing the league into the mainstream, the game is reaching more people than ever before.
And when someone like LeBron openly celebrates that growth, it only cements how special this moment is. The message is clear: women’s basketball isn’t just here to stay, it’s here to thrive.
