Why Texas women's basketball players love A'ja Wilson's signature A'One shoe
Why Texas women's basketball players love A'ja Wilson's signature A'One shoe
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Why the women's Texas Longhorns are the team to pay attention to
USA Today's Jordan Mendoza gives his insight on why the Longhorns are a dominant team to watch out for.
Sports Seriously
TAMPA, Fla. – Shay Holle didn't expect to meet A'ja Wilson when Texas women's basketball went to the Las Vegas Aces star's pop-up for her new Nike signature shoe, the A'One, on Wednesday.
When the Longhorns arrived, they watched a video of Wilson congratulating them on making it to the Final Four. The Gamecocks legend even wished them good luck in their matchup against South Carolina.
As Nike representatives apologized that Wilson couldn't be there, Wilson's voice came in through the speakers – then she walked in from the back of the room.
"We're all like, 'Oh my gosh' – we were already freaking out just about getting the shoes and getting to see the whole thing," Holle said Thursday during a media day ahead of the women's NCAA Tournament Final Four. "We are very, very grateful for A'ja and Nike for just allowing us to do that and making it work in our tight schedule. It was really fun."
Wilson took time to visit with the Longhorns, who all received pairs of the pink A'One. SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker was "fangirling for real" when she met Wilson, who Booker has watched since Wilson's college career.
Texas senior point guard Rori Harmon said the experience was amazing. She loved the setup – all pink – and she was grateful that Wilson welcomed them with open arms, even with them squaring off against Wilson's alma mater.
Harmon is still debating if she's wearing the shoes in the Final Four matchup. But Booker and Holle are planning to wear them when No. 1 seed Texas (35-3) faces No. 1 seed South Carolina (34-3) in the Final Four at Amalie Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Longhorns got to test out Wilson's shoe in practice Thursday, and Booker, Harmon and Holle all had glowing reviews, saying they "felt great." Harmon liked how lightweight the shoes are, and said they're perfect for the way she likes to play. Holle's feet are "kind of picky," but she didn't have any problems.
"I love them, honestly," Holle said. "They felt good, and they looked really cute, so no complaints."
Holle has worn Sabrina Ionescu's signature shoe for most of the season. Texas gets a lot of Longhorns alum Kevin Durant's signature shoes, but Holle loves being able to wear the shoe of a women's basketball player she watches. She followed Wilson and Ionescu during college and still watches them in the WNBA.
"That's someone you really look up to when you're a little girl playing basketball," Holle said. "So being able to wear their shoes is really cool. ... People are appreciating and recognizing the women's game a lot more and the work that they put into it. And that they deserve their own shoes, too, like, duh, come on."
Wilson is the first Black woman to receive a signature shoe since Tennessee great Candace Parker got a signature shoe with Adidas in 2011. Wilson's shoe means a lot for women's basketball, Booker said, and she's happy with the direction the sport is going in.
"I think that's why I want to wear the shoes, to kind of keep repping for her, because that's big that she got a shoe," Booker said. "That's very hard. She went through a lot of milestones in her career just to get that shoe."
Harmon is happy that Wilson is getting the recognition to match her dominance on the court, and said the three-time WNBA MVP is a great role model for young girls and boys.
"She's been killing it for a while now, and I'm just glad that she got what she deserved," Harmon said. "I'm just glad that she's kind of the focal point right now, because she really does deserve to be. ... I like that she's basically the face of women's basketball."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
40 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Two musical revolutionaries, Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, leave life's stage nearly simultaneously
Advertisement Brian Wilson captured the California sound With his late brothers Carl and Dennis, Beach Boys co-founder Wilson was the architect of the California sound that captured surfing and sun, beaches and girls. Yet for all the 'Fun, Fun, Fun,' there was something much deeper and darker in Brian's abilities as a composer. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It was more than disposable music for teen-agers. He had an unparalleled melodic sense, hearing sounds in his mind that others couldn't. He could worm his way into your head and then break your heart with songs like 'In My Room' and 'God Only Knows.' The tour de force 'Good Vibrations' —- had anyone ever heard of the theremin before he employed its unearthly wail? — is a symphony both complex and easily accessible. 'He was our American Mozart,' musician Sean Ono Lennon wrote on social media. Advertisement The 1966 album 'Pet Sounds' was a peak. Wilson felt a keen sense of competition with the Beatles. But they had three writers, including Sean's dad, John Lennon. Wilson was largely alone, and he heard impatience and doubt from other Beach Boys, whose music he provided. He felt the pressure in trying to follow up 'Pet Sounds,' and 'Smile' became music's most famous unfinished album. Wilson, a damaged soul to begin with because of an abusive father, never reached the heights again. He descended into a well-chronicled period of darkness. Sly Stone helped assemble a new kind of musical landscape Rock star Sylvester "Sly" Stone of Sly and the Family Stone appears in April 1972. Uncredited/Associated Press Stone's skills came in creating a musical world that others only dreamed of at the time. The Family Stone was an integrated world — Black and white, men and women — and the music they created was a potent mixture of rock, soul and funk. It made you move, it made you think. For a period of time from 1967 to 1973, their music was inescapable — 'Dance to the Music,' 'Everybody is a Star,' 'Higher,' 'Hot Fun in the Summertime,' 'Sing a s Simple Song,' 'Family Affair,' 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).' Their performance at Woodstock was a milestone. 'His songs weren't just about fighting injustice, they were about transforming the self to transform the world,' musician and documentarian Questlove, who lovingly tended to Stone's legacy, wrote this week. 'He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths. His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.' From his peak, the fall was hard. Years of drug abuse took its toll. Periodic comeback attempts deepened a sense of bewilderment and pity. Advertisement In a world where many musical icons died young, each endured Music is littered with stories of sudden, untimely and early deaths. Yet until this week, both men lived on, somewhat improbably passing average life expectancies. Wilson, by many measures, achieved some level of peace late in life. He had a happy marriage. He was able to see how his music was revered and appreciated and spent several years performing it again with a younger band that clearly worshiped him. It was a postscript not many knew, said journalist Jason Fine, who befriended Wilson and made the 2021 documentary, 'Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road.' 'That sort of simple message he really wanted to give people through his music going back to the '60s — a sense of warmth, a sense that it's going to be OK in the same way that music lifted him up from his darkness, he'd try to do for other people,' Fine told The Associated Press in an interview then. 'I think now, more than earlier in his career, he accepts that he does that and that's a great comfort to him.' Stone emerged to write an autobiography in 2023. But less is known about his later years, whether he found peace or died without the full knowledge of what his music meant to others. 'Yes, Sly battled addiction,' Questlove wrote. 'Yes, he disappeared from the spotlight. But he lived long enough to outlast many of his disciples, to feel the ripples of his genius return through hip-hop samples, documentaries and his memoir. Still, none of that replaces the raw beauty of his original work.' Did Sly Stone and Brian Wilson live lives of tragedy or triumph? It's hard to say now. One suspects it will become easier with the passage of time, when only the work remains. That sometimes brings clarity. Advertisement 'Millions of people had their lives changed by their music,' DeCurtis said. 'Not just enjoyed it, but had their lives transformed. That's quite an accomplishment.'
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Al Jardine Pays Tribute to Beach Boys Bandmate Brian Wilson: ‘My Brother in Spirit'
Al Jardine, co-founder of the Beach Boys, paid tribute to his bandmate Brian Wilson, who died at age 82. 'Brian Wilson, my friend, my classmate, my football teammate, my Beach Boy bandmate and my brother in spirit, I will always feel blessed that you were in our lives for as long as you were,' Jardine said in a statement to Rolling Stone. 'I think the most comforting thought right now is that you are reunited with [Wilson's brothers and bandmates] Carl and Dennis, singing those beautiful harmonies again. You were a humble giant who always made me laugh and we will celebrate your music forever. Brian, I'll really miss you…still I have the warmth of the sun within me tonight.' More from Rolling Stone Elton John Calls Late Brian Wilson 'The Biggest Influence on My Songwriting' Elton John, Carole King, More Remember Brian Wilson: 'His Cherished Music Will Live Forever' Beach Boys' Former Manager on Brian Wilson: 'The Three Wilsons Are Finally Back Together' In 1961, Brian, Dennis, and Carl formed a band with their cousin Mike Love and friend Jardine. The group signed to Capitol Records and named themselves Beach Boys, releasing hits like 'Surfin' U.S.A.' (with music borrowed from Chuck Berry's 'Sweet Little Sixteen'), 'Surfer Girl,' 'Be True to Your School,' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun.' In 1966, fueled by Brian's ambitious songwriting, the band released the album Pet Sounds, which regularly ranks at or near the top of the best albums ever made (Rolling Stone named it Number Two in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time). In March, Jardine announced that he would be relaunching Brian's backing group, who have been inactive since Wilson stopped performing in 2022, as the Pet Sounds Band. 'The world mourns a genius today, and we grieve for the loss of our cousin, our friend, and our partner in a great musical adventure,' the band wrote in a statement. 'Brian Wilson wasn't just the heart of the Beach Boys — he was the soul of our sound. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. His unparalleled talent and unique spirit created the soundtrack of so many lives around the globe, including our own. Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom — music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities. 'We are heartbroken by his passing,' the group continued. 'We will continue to cherish the timeless music we made together and the joy he brought to millions over the decades. And while we will miss him deeply, his legacy will live on through his songs and in our memories.' Wilson, along with the Beach Boys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Upon his entry into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, Paul McCartney — who delivered the induction speech — called Wilson 'one of the great American geniuses,' and thanked him 'sir, for making me cry.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Aces star A'ja Wilson leaves loss to Sparks early with head injury
A'ja Wilson tried to block Dearica Hamby at the rim when she took an incidental shot to the face on Wednesday night. (Thien-) Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson left Wednesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Sparks early after she took a shot to the head. Wilson, in the third quarter of the Sparks' 97-89 win at Michelob Ultra Arena, rose up deep in the lane and tried to block Dearica Hamby as she tried to make a layup. Advertisement While the block was successful on paper, Wilson was drilled hard in the face in the process. She stumbled backward and immediately reached for her face, clearly in a lot of pain, as play continued on the other way. Wilson remained in the game for a few minutes, but she left just before the third quarter ended. The team then quickly ruled her out with a head injury the rest of the way. Further specifics of her injury are not yet known. Wilson finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss. The three-time MVP entered the night averaging 22 points and 9.9 rebounds this season, her eighth in the league. Only Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier is scoring more points per game than Wilson is across the league. Advertisement After opening the game on the wrong side of a 9-2 run, the Sparks rallied back and led the entirety of the final three quarters to pick up the eight-point win. Rickea Jackson led the way with a career-high 30 points and seven rebounds, and Azura Stevens added 19 points and 19 rebounds. Jackie Young led the Aces with 34 points and eight rebounds, and Chelsea Gray added 28 points behind six 3-pointers. The loss, which was the team's second straight, dropped the Aces to 4-4 on the year. While it's unclear how significant Wilson's head injury is, any time missed could prove costly for the Aces. They'll be back in action on Friday night against the Dallas Wings.
