No Black WNBA players have a signature shoe. Here's why that's a gigantic problem.

In October of 2023, after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was asked a question: Does star player A'ja Wilson deserve her own signature shoe? Hammon's response was one of incredulity.

"You think?" she said. "You don’t need my thoughts. You already know my thoughts."

Then she gave her thoughts.

"She needs her own shoe," Hammon said. "She is the two-time MVP. I’ll toot her horn because she won’t. Olympic gold medalist, best defensive player two years running, her team’s (success). Stop. Stop."

Wilson's pedigree goes even beyond what Hammon described. She's been in the league since 2018. She's a two-time champion, won the MVP twice, and is a five-time All-Star. She's an Olympian. FIBA World Cup MVP. Wilson won a championship at South Carolina and was player of the year there. She's so revered in her home state there's a statue of her outside the arena.Wilson also just made Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list. Oh, and she's a New York Times bestselling author.

In October of 2023, after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was asked a question: Does star player A'ja Wilson deserve her own signature shoe? Hammon's response was one of incredulity.

"You think?" she said. "You don’t need my thoughts. You already know my thoughts."

Then she gave her thoughts.

"She needs her own shoe," Hammon said. "She is the two-time MVP. I’ll toot her horn because she won’t. Olympic gold medalist, best defensive player two years running, her team’s (success). Stop. Stop."

Wilson's pedigree goes even beyond what Hammon described. She's been in the league since 2018. She's a two-time champion, won the MVP twice, and is a five-time All-Star. She's an Olympian. FIBA World Cup MVP. Wilson won a championship at South Carolina and was player of the year there. She's so revered in her home state there's a statue of her outside the arena.Wilson also just made Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list. Oh, and she's a New York Times bestselling author.

In October of 2023, after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was asked a question: Does star player A'ja Wilson deserve her own signature shoe? Hammon's response was one of incredulity.

"You think?" she said. "You don’t need my thoughts. You already know my thoughts."

Then she gave her thoughts.

"She needs her own shoe," Hammon said. "She is the two-time MVP. I’ll toot her horn because she won’t. Olympic gold medalist, best defensive player two years running, her team’s (success). Stop. Stop."

Wilson's pedigree goes even beyond what Hammon described. She's been in the league since 2018. She's a two-time champion, won the MVP twice, and is a five-time All-Star. She's an Olympian. FIBA World Cup MVP. Wilson won a championship at South Carolina and was player of the year there. She's so revered in her home state there's a statue of her outside the arena.Wilson also just made Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list. Oh, and she's a New York Times bestselling author.