When Caitlin Clark signed with Nike, with the promise of getting a signature shoe, many Internet users criticized the equipment manufacturer… for not having yet offered one to A’ja Wilson.
It must be said that the Las Vegas Aces midfielder is the most dominant player in the WNBA at the moment, with two titles (2022, 2023), two MVP trophies (2020, 2022) and Defender of the Year. (2022, 2023), while also having been MVP of the 2022 World Cup as well as NCAA champion and MOP in 2017…
But A'ja Wilson read comments criticizing Nike for weeks, even months, with a smile. Because she has been preparing the release of her signature model for a long time.
“I didn’t want it to be charity. I wanted people to understand that it came from me. It took a long time, and difficult conversations with Nike and my team for us to get this product.”
Yesterday, during the Las Vegas Aces preseason match, she decided to play it, with a sweater on which we could read “Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com” (“biensûrquejaiunechaussure.com”), the address of a website who announced his shoe line at Nike!
“We have been working on this project for a few years and I wanted it to be perfect”, she explains. “I didn’t want it to be charity. I wanted people to understand that it came from me. It took a long time, and difficult conversations with Nike and my team for us to get this product. »
A'ja Wilson did not want a shoe at a discount, while few players have signature models, and even fewer indoor ones, Breanna Stewart having had to leave Nike and join Puma to get one.
“I wanted to have complete control of the narrative and the agenda when it came to my shoe”she explains in conclusion. “We had to discuss what we wanted from this shoe. This is not an ordinary shoe, because it is something that is long overdue in my eyes. And we had to find a happy medium.”
