Earlier this month, A’ja Wilson unveiled the first look of her signature shoes, A’One. Recently, a launch event was held for the same where Wilson talked about her parents’ reaction to seeing the A’Ones for the first time.
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Wilson also had her jersey retired by the South Carolina Gamecocks just a few weeks ago. She told Nick DePaula that her parents didn’t see the signature shoes until a day before her jersey retirement ceremony. Apart from being proud of her for having her own shoes, they were “stunned” to see how great the shoes looked.
Wilson revealed that her mother had an intuition that the shoes were going to be pink. Her father was trying to hold back his tears, but he also had some questions regarding the sneakers.
Wilson said, “They got their pair, so that’s when it really kind of seeped in. They could see it in their size…My dad was like, ‘What are the other colorways?’ I was like, alright, calm down.”
A’ja Wilson had to keep her Nike signature shoe a secret from her parents for almost two years. She showed them the A’One the day before the official reveal, in their size.
“It was just a happy day for the Wilson family.”
— @_AjaWilson22 https://t.co/dRu9UlGtPx pic.twitter.com/oWY4bZX9I6— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) February 15, 2025
Wilson’s parents received the A’Ones in black colorway. The WNBA superstar said that it was tough to hold onto this secret from their parents, but she wanted it to be a great surprise for them. In the end, everything panned out the way she expected and she was very happy that her parents loved the shoes and were genuinely interested in them.
Nike has unveiled @_ajawilson22’s first signature sneaker, the A’One 👏
Her “Pink Aura” launch colorway is set to release May 2025 pic.twitter.com/B0E5NU4MS7
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) February 4, 2025
The shoe launch event was made special by WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes welcoming Wilson to the Nike family. Wilson said that the moment is “indescribable” for her. She thanked Swoopes for laying the foundation for athletes like her to step into this world.
Sheryl Swoopes delivered a heartfelt speech for A’ja Wilson
When Swoopes joined the Nike family with a signature shoe, there weren’t many examples like her. She has been a pioneer for the WNBA in more ways than one. So, it was only fitting that she gets to welcome arguably the best player in the league today. Swoopes was very emotional during her speech at the event.
She said, “It’s about f*****g time.”
The former WNBA star applauded the company for always standing by women’s basketball and female athletes in general. “This moment will absolutely go down as one of the biggest, most special times of my life,” she added.
Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes emotionally welcomes @_AjaWilson22 to the Nike signature shoe family.
“It’s about fucking time … this will go down as one of the most special moments of my life.”
— @AirSwoopes22 pic.twitter.com/kojP9Aj1qO— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) February 15, 2025
Throughout her speech, it seemed like she was trying to hold back tears. “Almost 30 years later, to have another Black woman to have her own signature shoe. I’m not looking at you [A’ja Wilson] because you’re making me cry,” Swoopes said.
She also spoke on the importance of dreaming big and how Wilson has become an example for girls around the world.
