Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson hosted a community fan experience at the Washington Square Mall Foot Locker in Oregon on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, ahead of her team's 105-89 victory against the Portland Fire on Thursday.
The three-hour promotional stop served as part of "The A'ja Wilson Show" tour, allowing fans to customize apparel and view her signature footwear line.
Wilson, who secured a three-year, $5 million supermax contract with the Aces as reported by ESPN, was named AP's Female Athlete of the Year in December 2025.
Event Highlights and Fan Experience
"This one-day event brings together basketball, culture, and community while giving Portland fans the opportunity to experience A'ja's world firsthand while shopping the latest addition to her signature footwear line," said event organizers from Foot Locker.
Guests were among the first to explore a fully immersive retail experience inspired by one of basketball's biggest stars.
The off-court appearance follows a lighthearted public exchange between Wilson and her former college coach, Dawn Staley, whom Wilson helped lead to an NCAA championship at South Carolina in 2017 before being drafted first overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft.
"She's gotten soft.
It's ridiculous how soft she's gotten because one when we were in school we couldn't have phones on game days.
We had to literally spend a whole day without our phones and go to classes," said Wilson.
Wilson previously detailed the strict environment of her collegiate career during an appearance on Kylie Kelce's podcast "Not Gonna Lie" in November.
"I remember her calling me like, 'Charmin, oh, you're just soft; the SEC needs to rough you up' and I'm like, 'Now you're Charmin; these kids got you doing TikToks; you're dancing,'" said Wilson.
Staley, who has reached six consecutive Final Fours with the South Carolina Gamecocks, responded to the critique during a recent offseason media availability.
"Have I gotten softer? I've gotten smarter, right," said Staley.
The collegiate coach defended her modernized approach to player management while countering with a playful assessment of Wilson's current personal life.
"Because you can't allow them to beat you at their game, I'm beating them at their game.
A'ja [Wilson's] probably gotten softer too…now that she got a man, right? She got a little softer.
But I will say this – I really enjoy young people. I enjoy taking the journey with them for them finding themselves.
And it's such a cool process and a cool dynamic helping them find out who they really are," said Staley.
