After years of anticipation and months of rollout, the Nike A’One is finally here. Boardroom breaks down the significance of the shoe and the scope of investment upon its arrival.
For over a year and a half, A’ja Wilson has known her moment was coming: a signature sneaker made by Nike, backed by head-to-toe apparel offerings and an ad campaign to match. Now, it’s finally here.
Already a two-time WNBA champion, three-time MVP, six-time All-Star, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Wilson has been well aware of her worth as an athlete. What she saw — and fans forecasted — far before her Swoosh series was her promise as a pitchman.
“People were out here ready to fight for you,” actress and writer Issa Rae joked with Wilson in a recent interview.
After years of online chatter and accolades louder than all the talk, the Nike A’One is here, selling out an initial release on SNKRS in minutes. Like its namesake star, the shoe and its rollout are bold, lush, and unapologetic.
“It’s literally perfection,” Wilson told Boardroom’s Vinciane Ngomsi last month. “And I’m not just saying that because my name is on it. [It’s] the people behind it that helped me.”
People like Wilson’s agent Jade-Li English of Klutch Sports. In early 2024, English helped A’ja strike a multi-year deal with Nike. The negotiations paved a path for Wilson as a signature athlete and one of the key faces of the brand’s WNBA campaigns. Although the wait for Wilson’s moment was long, the momentum mounted fast.
Within weeks of the deal, the Nike A’One was announced in a tunnel walk and through a microsite. Months later, Wilson appeared on brand signage all over Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics. By February 2025, she was starring in Nike’s first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years.
The $16 million moment featured the three-time WNBA MVP front and center, sharing the spotlight with fellow female athletes in black and white with backing tunes from Led Zeppelin. Both A’ja and her peers made headlines and history as the clip has already amassed 3 million views on YouTube alone.
While the table was set at the Super Bowl, the following marketing was far different, highlighting Wilson’s story, personality, and finally her shoe, in all their aura.
Two already viral clips — crafted for TV, TikTok, and everywhere in between — revise the playground classic “Miss Mary Mack” with Wilson-inspired lyrics and creative helmed by Wieden+Kennedy. This particular campaign came under the creative direction of Jordan Dinwiddie and a team of Black women.
“One of A’Kind” stars local kids from Columbia, South Carolina, complete with cameos from college coach Dawn Staley and Wilson’s proud parents. Shoe screeches in the medley are akin to the 2001 Nike Freestyle commercial, while the schoolyard sass harkens the Kyla Pratt campaigns Nike used to promote their WNBA roster of Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Cynthia Cooper in the late ’90s. Howard graduate Jenn Nkiru, famous for directing Beyoncé’s music videos, was brought in for the TV moment.
The other clip, titled “Teaching the Pro,” offers a stripped-down version of the first where Wilson learns her theme music from a child on the steps of a porch. Malia Obama directed the heartfelt B-side created for social media. Before A’ja even stepped on set, she already envisioned her rollout going just like this.
“I want it to be someone that they can relate to,” Wilson said. “And as a pro now, I see myself. Now, I see young girls want to wear my shoe and want to be me. That’s a beautiful thing, and I think that’s how I see things.”
At $110, the A’One hits the sweet spot where pricing is concerned. The “Pink Aura” launch color sold out in minutes on SNKRS with an additional allotment scheduled to hit Foot Locker on May 8. “Indigo Girl” and “OG Pearl” pairs are up next, with Wilson already alluding to a ripe rotation of her own player-exclusive colorways to pop up all WNBA seasons.
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At $110, the A’One hits the sweet spot where pricing is concerned. The “Pink Aura” launch color sold out in minutes on SNKRS with an additional allotment scheduled to hit Nike stores and partner retailers, including Foot Locker, on May 8. “Indigo Girl” and “OG Pearl” pairs are up next, with Wilson already alluding to a ripe rotation of her own player-exclusive colorways to pop up all WNBA seasons.
While the woman in the eye of this storm has long waited for this moment to come — praying, planning, and now executing each step — even she can’t believe the rollout and reception are real.
“It’s actually been pretty overwhelming,” Wilson told Boardroom the night before the launch. “My heart is full of pure happiness! To see the fans who waited in line at my pop-ups and those who are still waiting for the A’One? I don’t really have the words yet, and can’t believe the moment is actually here.
“I’m so excited, so blessed, and truly feel like the moment is bigger than me. This shoe is for everyone.”
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