"There's no gimmick" - Rich Paul credits A'ja Wilson's market value for uplifting WNBA after Nike logo reveal

Rich Paul has come out to defend WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson against critics. According to Paul, the LV Aces leader was one of the best players in the league to not have a signature shoe until this year.

Speaking with Gilbert Arenas and Josiah Johnson on Gil's Arena, the agent and businessman explained why A'ja Wilson is indeed marketable for much more than her performance on the court.

"I can't answer that question 'cause I have no idea where that came from," Paul said referring to why people don't think A'ja Wilson is 'marketable.' "But, as it pertains to A'ja, I think she's foundational when I look at her, right? There's no gimmick, there's just substance, when you think about A'ja, both on and off the floor. The way she plays the game, how she leads."

He then addressed the comments made against A'ja Wilson for not having her own shoe, something that stars like Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and even rookie Caitlin Clark (who signed her shoe deal before the start of her WNBA career) had before her.

"She deserved her own shoe, and rightfully so and her having the patience and the want and the detail, I'm in the meetings to do it right. When everybody's saying 'why she don't have this?' She got it, but she just want to make sure it's done right," Paul added.

[31:10 mark]

Wilson is a two-time WNBA MVP and a two-time WNBA champion, which made it peculiar that she didn't have a signature shoe out yet. However, she recently announced her own shoe in grand fashion.

---

A'ja Wilson, Nike announced her signature shoe by responding to doubters

Months after LeBron James predicted she would get a signature shoe, A'ja Wilson and Nike announced the center was getting a signature shoe. The player shared a post on Instagram, wearing a hoodie that read, 'Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com.'

Nike shared a statement reminding people of all the success Wilson has had, sarcastically asking if they thought she wouldn't get a signature shoe.

“You thought we’d sleep on an SEC champion, national champion, #1 draft pick, five-time All-Star, US Olympic gold winner, WNBA Finals MVP, a statue-having, New York Times Best Seller, TIME 100 Most Influential People in 2024, two-time WNBA champion, twotime Defensive Player of the Year, two-time WNBA MVP, and Pettist hooper on the internet? You thought."

The shoes are set to arrive in 2025 and will be called 'A’One.'