You would be hard-pressed to find an athlete more deserving of a signature line of shoes than A’ja Wilson. The Las Vegas Aces star has done it all in her short career so far, and she shows no sign of stopping! Championships, MVPs, DPOYs, you name it, she’s got it! However, she was missing one thing up until recently–her own signature shoe.

But after her humongous contract extension with Nike, and a lot of pressure from her fans, the A’Ones were announced in February. Wilson even did a promotional ‘Pre-Heat’ tour of the shoes, and got a great turnout from fans! She visited Las Vegas, Tampa, and Columbia, South Carolina as part of this tour, allowing fans to get an early glimpse at the shoes!

Wilson’s promotional measures were a definite success, as the internet built hype around the shoes. Adding to the excitement, Nike made a huge announcement regarding the A’Ones. They were slated to release on the 8th of May, however, due to popular demand, they preponed the launch date!

Nike announced that the shoes will be available to purchase on May 6th, but there was one issue. The majority of the WNBA community was not happy with the way the footwear company sidelined Caitlin Clark’s product line. It has been a whole saga between the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, but Nike decided to nip it in the bud.

They focused on A’ja Wilson’s line first, and that drew a ton of criticism from WNBA fans. Even with Nike’s most recent announcement, they aren’t necessarily happy. What are they saying exactly? Let’s find out!

Fans call out Nike, demand a Caitlin Clark shoe after A’ja Wilson is given preference

We’ve seen this story before. Fans in the WNBA are on the verge of declaring A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark to be rivals, and why wouldn’t they? Even though Wilson won the MVP, CC wasn’t so far behind! The Indiana Fever rookie finished 4th in MVP voting, nearly snagging Candace Parker’s unbreakable record.

Wilson and Clark are both on lucrative deals with Nike, but the footwear company had a very important decision to make–who gets their shoe first? In terms of experience and accomplishments, it’s not even a competition. A’ja Wilson has been dominating the league ever since she stepped foot in it, and calling her the best basketball player on the planet is not far from the truth. However, Caitlin Clark is a trail-blazer if there ever was one!

Even though CC is a rookie, she has been responsible for a massive increase in ticket sales, viewership, and overall attention paid to the WNBA. So from a business perspective, it would make sense for her to get her own shoe first. But the brand has unusually been quite on the matter and the fans are just not having it.

After Nike’s most recent post, the WNBA community lashed out on social media. “We want a Caitlin Clark shoe not a Aja Wilson one.” A fan said on X, upset by the lack of a Caitlin Clark line. Frankly, it was a common sentiment! “I’m gonna say “where is my CC shoe?”” Another fan said, throwing jabs at Nike for overlooking the Fever rookie.

However, we know exactly where the Caitlin Clark line is–in development. “It’s in development! Takes time.” A user said on X. And they aren’t wrong.

Though there has been no official word or announcement, Nike CEO Elliott Hill said in January that CC had visited the headquarters and a shoe was in work. But there has hardly been any update since and the frustration is only growing among fans. Unfortunately, this time, it was channeled towards Wilson.

“Ms. Privilege,” user on X commented under Nike’s post.

Another user on X pointed out the business aspect of the situation. Nike, as we know, is on a decline. Last month, it was reported that the brand was expecting its worst in five years, with Q3 sales projected to fall 11.5% to $11.01 billion. Store traffic’s down 11%, app downloads tanked 35% from last year. So fans suggest, getting Clark on board would help with a little of that. 

“Can we also get a Caitlin shoe this year? As you manage to release more than two men’s signature basketball shoes per year, but for women’s you manage just two. Do better, Nike. I promise that if you release a Caitlin shoe, it will grow your bottom line hugely,” the user said, asking the footwear giant to take the smarter financial decision.

It will be interesting to see whether Nike listens to the people. The WNBA community is asking for Caitlin Clark to have her own shoe, and frankly? She deserves it. There’s no doubt that A’ja Wilson is one of the best basketball players in the world, but that doesn’t take away from the rising greatness that is CC.