A'ja Wilson's best friend shares reasoning behind $2,830,000,000 brand's gear while donning A'One

Earlier this offseason, A'ja Wilson joined the exclusive group of WNBA players to get their own signature shoe. While some of her close friends have supported her by donning the new sneaker, one explained why she's had to mix and match brands on the court.

Most of the time, players don one brand due to their partnership deals. However, that hasn't been the case recently for Allisha Gray in Unrivaled. She was spotted playing in the A'One but wearing Under Armour socks.

After seeing her attire, fans joked that Gray wore UA socks because A'ja Wilson didn't get her any with the sneakers. She took to social media to set the record straight on why she donned Under Armour socks with Nike shoes. The $2.8 billion brand (per Forbes) is one of the main sponsors for Unrivaled.

"Unrivaled League sponsored by UA gotta wear the gear."

Fresh off her second-straight All-Star appearance with the Atlanta Dream, Gray was among the women signed to play in the historic first season of Unrivaled. Alongside Napheesa Collier, she's helped lead the Lunar Owls to an impressive 10-1 record.

Gray has been the Lunar Owls' primary option behind Collier, averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists on the season.

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A'ja Wilson wanted to give her friend a special honor regarding her signature shoe

Seeing that we are still months away from the 2025 WNBA season, it will be some time before A'ja Wilson is in action wearing her signature shoe. With women competing right now in Unrivaled, she wanted to give a friend a special honor regarding the A'One.

Like most athletes, Wilson has released numerous colorways for her signature shoe. A new one is on the way, and the superstar center had someone in mind to wear it for the first time.

Over the weekend, A'ja Wilson took to Threads to discuss the next colorway for her signature shoe. She said that she wants Allisha Gray to be the person who displays them in action to the world.

"Lish might gotta debut the next colorway," Wilson wrote.

Via @aja22wilson on threads

Wilson and Gray's bond stems from before their time in the WNBA. The pair spent two seasons together, where they formed a strong friendship. During their two seasons together at South Carolina, Wilson and Gray managed to deliver the program a national championship.

Gray was the first to depart for the WNBA, being drafted No. 4 overall by the Dallas Wings in 2017. A year later, the Las Vegas Aces took Wilson with the top pick in the 2018 Draft.