It looks as if A'ja Wilson and Nike are going to be aligned for a long time.
ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported via Twitter (X) on Tuesday that Wilson is signing a six-year contract extension with Nike. What's more, Charania stated it is "one of the richest shoe deals for a women's basketball player."
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FN has reached out to Nike for comment.
In May, Nike revealed Wilson as its next signature athlete , and confirmed her signature collection will be released globally in 2025. Also, the Swoosh revealed the name of her debut shoe: A'One.
While at WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix in July, the Las Vegas Aces star spoke exclusively with FN during her cover shoot. At the time, the three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player revealed what it means to her to be the first Black woman with a signature basketball shoe since Adidas launched its last look for Candace Parker in 2011, the Ace Versatility.
"To be the next Black woman with a signature shoe, oh my gosh, I am so excited for next year. I can't contain it," Wilson told FN. "It's such a big moment. When [the news] first dropped, Coach [Dawn] Staley hit me, Sheryl [Swoopes] hit me, Lisa [Leslie] hit me and they were all like, 'You deserve this.' To have greats, Hall of Famers like that say that to me, I was like, 'God, thank you.'"
In October, during a press event at Nike's headquarters in New York City, Wilson opened up about the pressures and joys of having a signature shoe.
"There is pressure when it comes to competing with other brands or just wanting to [have] the best shoe, but at the same time you don't want the message to get lost, you don't want the storytelling to get lost. That's tough because there are a lot of great ideas," Wilson said. "We have some dope shoes out there. You don't want your shoe to be just another one. You want longevity, you want a shoe to have a name after a game you had, like the [Air Jordan 12] 'Flu Game.' That type of substance is a lot of pressure."
She continued, "Sitting at the table with your team, having those hard conversations, that caught me by surprise. I thought they were going to be like, 'Here's a shoe, we're just going to put your signature on it' [Laughs.] But no, they were like, 'We're going to break it down,' and I didn't think I was ready for that, but now I am and I am so excited and thankful for my team."
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
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