Malia Obama, the daughter of former President Barack Obama, directed Nike’s latest commercial for former South Carolina women’s basketball star A’ja Wilson’s new signature shoe.
Wilson’s new shoes, the “A’One,” will be available starting May 6.
The first of two commercials was released on May 3, to the theme of the nursey rhyme “Miss Mary Mack” but with lyrics changed to reflect Wilson and her impact, influence and accomplishments.
Then on May 4, a second commercial was released which was called “Teaching the pro.”
Directed by Malia Obama, it features a young girl showing Wilson how to play “Miss Mary Mack” and sing the “A’ja Wilson is on top” theme song from May 3’s commercial.
Obama graduated from Harvard and has worked on different film projects in the past, as both a writer and a director.
While it’s not confirmed when this Nike commercial was shot, some wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter on Feb. 2 that they saw Obama in Columbia, South Carolina, on the same day Wilson’s jersey was getting retired by the program.
On Feb. 3, Wilson filmed a sit-down interview with actress Issa Rae to promote her new clothing line and shoes with Nike.
In the first commercial from May 3, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had a cameo, as she danced into a restaurant wearing both a shirt and visor with Wilson’s Nike logo on it.
Wilson gave Staley and some other people in her inner circle a pair of her shoes already. Staley raved about the shoes comfortability. In the Las Vegas Aces preseason game on May 2 against the Dallas Wings, Wilson was wearing her shoes.
On May 4, a video released showing Wilson giving all her Aces teammates a pair of the pink shoes.
Wilson is beginning her eight season with the Aces, after getting selected No. 1 overall by the organization in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She is a three-time WNBA MVP, including last season, and has won two WNBA championships (2022, 2023). In 2024, she became the first player in WNBA history to score 1,000-points in a single season.
On May 11, 2024, Wilson was playing in a preseason game with the Aces in Colonial Life Arena, and revealed to the world she was getting a signature shoe with Nike. A year later, the original color, the “A’One ‘Pink A’ura'” will be $110 ($90 for kids) and available to purchase starting at 10 a.m. ET on May 6.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin