A'ja Wilson's dad reflects on popularity of WNBA star's Nike 'A'One' signature shoe
COLUMBIA — A'ja Wilson's Nike signature shoe sold out in less than five minutes. Everyone wanted the former South Carolina women's basketball star's custom footwear.
Wilson revealed the design for her A'One shoe on Feb. 4, and on May 6, the original color, the "Pink A'ura'" was made available to purchase. Throughout May, more versions of the shoes have been released, including an indigo blue and pearl white, a nod to her late grandmother.
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Since becoming the program's first No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick, the Columbia native has won three WNBA MVP awards and is two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces.
Her parents, Roscoe and Eva, have been involved in every aspect of the monumental shoe release, including a cameo in her Nike commercial and sitting courtside for celebratory events in Las Vegas.
"The ins and outs of it, it's exciting," Roscoe Wilson told The Greenville News. "It's been a labor of love with A'ja getting them out. Then getting them to kids, kids who need them and kids who want to play in them. It's been fun. We've been having a blast."
Ahead of the release, Nike went on a tour to offer fans a chance to purchase the shoes before they were available publicly on May 6. The tour stopped in three cities: Las Vegas, Columbia and Tampa. The Florida stop was at the same time as the NCAA women's Final Four, which allowed teams like Texas to stop by and hang out with A'ja Wilson.
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The Longhorns lost to coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks on April 4, but numerous players wore the "A'Ones" during the game.
For the official release, the Aces hosted a themed event for fans ahead of the preseason game against the Phoenix Mercury on May 6. Staley and associate head coach Lisa Boyer were in attendance. That night, every player on the Aces wore the pink shoes, and since then, numerous players on other WNBA teams have rocked different A'Ones.
"It blows us away," Roscoe Wilson said. "I'm at a game watching A'ja play and the players on her team, on the other teams against A'ja (wearing them). That's amazing. It's kind of like the Michael Jordan thing, you know."
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Former Gamecocks star center Kamilla Cardoso, now on the Chicago Sky, rocked the Indigo shoes on May 31, as did teammates Courtney Vandersloot and Michaela Onyenwere.
Allisha Gray, who played with A'ja Wilson at South Carolina under Staley, has worn three different A'Ones already this season.
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Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles wore the indigo shoes on June 1, and Dream center Brittney Griner wore the indigo shoes on May 31.
The shoes also spread to the NBA, as Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, A'ja Wilson's "my favorite Olympian from out of town," wore the Pink version back in February before it was released to the public, then the pearl white color on April 5. Los Angeles Lakers guard Shake Milton wore the pink shoes on April 11.
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"It's surreal that another player would have on my daughter's shoes," Roscoe Wilson said. "Wearing them because they want to wear them, not because they have to."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: A'ja Wilson's father reflects on success of Nike 'A'One' signature shoe
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