Leg mes: part of A’Ja Wilson’s legacy in the wnba
A’ja Wilson continues to leave his mark in the world of sport, on and off the court.
A’JA Wilson I had a problem.
It was three times all-American in South Carolina. National Champion in 2017. National Player of the Year and First Selection of the 2018 Draft by Las Vegas Aces. But before his WNBA debut, something did not square him.
He felt his unbalanced legs every time he prepared for the games. The 1.93 m alera (6 feet 4 inches) always seemed to need more time to prepare its left leg compared to the right. This is how the idea of the mesh in one leg occurred to him.
“It came to life in my first year, when my poor university body was in full transition towards being professional,” Wilson said before launching his exclusive Nike line. “My left leg alone (I needed) to be a little more warm and ready for the action. But I don’t want to use the entire meshes … so I decided to cut the other leg.”
The style has captivated the new generation of basketball players, transcending female basketball and sport in general. From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander In the NBA finals of 2025 to Lynn Williamsfront of the Women’s soccer team from the USA.at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, single -leg mesh have consolidated throughout the world of sport.
“It is one of the first people who I remember using a single -leg mesh and turning it into its distinctive style,” said the alera del Minnesota Lynx, Alanna Smithto AM850. “And I think that has had a great influence on many other sports.”
And while Wilson did not invent the trend (that merit corresponds to the superstar of American athletics
Florence Griffith Joyner In the 1980s), one could say that Wilson is responsible for popularizing it among today’s athletes.
“Once I saw a’ja to do it, I did it,” said the pivot of the Chicago Sky, Kamilla Cardosoanother former star of South Carolina.
ADHEL TACabout to be a second -year student at South Carolina, he does not imagine playing without the mesh of one leg. If they associated her with the best player in the history of her university, she thought she could also be part of her identity.
“I feel rare doing things without her,” Tac said. “And even in the training, sometimes I have trained without her and my companions look at me with a crazy face and say: ‘What happened to the mesh of one leg? Where did he go?'”
Emulate the characteristic style of Wilson has had an empowering effect on those that have followed their steps in Columbia, South Carolina, especially, where they are received by their statue every time they enter the colonial Life Arena.
“I feel it is inspiring for younger children and university students or high Dauda Maryam. “You want to play like her, in a way, when you enter the court.”
But the total reach of that influence did not become evident until May, when Nike launched the long-awaited Wilson collection-wrapped by A’ONE sports shoes, which, as reported, sold out a few minutes after their online launch-, highlighting the meshes A’symmetric. Designing her own line was the incarnation of the work that has made her university champion, the WNBA and Olympic, but the one -leg mesh is ultimately, connected to Wilson’s impact on female basketball, she told AM850.
“I wanted to be very intentional with A’ONE and every garment of the clothing line,” Wilson said. “Each garment – from the A’one sports shoes to the leggings of one leg and the hooded sweatshirt – it is an authentic part of me and tells part of my story. I have used leggings of one leg for years, and when I see other people using them, I saw the need, so I wanted to design something that would work, not something that you had to cut yourself or wait.
The reaction has been proof that she is much more than an elite basketball player.
“I want to leave my mark on this sport”Wilson said. “Not only for how I play, but also for how I say present. So, Leaving an impact not only on the court, but also on the culture and style of sport, will be part of my legacy“
When the former WNBA player Jannon Lampley Check her daughter Lola before bedtime, finds the recruit number 20 of the 2026 class looking at the best moves in the basketball.
“Every night, he entered his room,” Lampley said. “His television was on YouTube watching A’JA Wilson“
Long before training his daughter and the Central Lawrence school to win the state title of Indian Purdue To reach the Final Four in 1994 and obtained recognition to the first All-Big Ten team in 1997. According to her, Wilson is a combination of the best players against whom she has competed: she can die, pass, defend and score at all levels. That skill has made it a heroine among young players and basketball players, something that Lampley presence in high school tournaments throughout the country.
“My youngest son plays with the one -leg mesh,” he said. “That’s far from a distance. I see children doing it all the time now.”
But Wilson’s single leg mesh have a deeper nuance. With 1.85 m (6 feet 1 inch), Lampley never felt that high women were seen as elegant and stylish when playing basketball. The single -leg mesh, he said, and the way Wilson USA has changed that.
“Normally you do not see the high players showing themselves safe, and she has accepted her femininity,” Lampley said. “He brings him a touch of fashion. Radiates trust and elegance.”
“You want to imitate the game of A’J and see you like her, but also today we like to look good on the court,” Tac added. “Seeing us well, feeling good, playing well. And maybe our hairstyle, makeup, nails, eyelashes, whatever. But I feel that, at least for me, using the mesh of one leg now is only part of the uniform.”
In 2025, Wilson already has everything. He has won all the rings available at all levels. And he has a lucrative contract with Nike, which recently signed a long extension. If he decided to retire today, he would automatically enter the Hall of Fame and would be a candidate to be the Goat.
But the single -leg mesh will continue to be a trend long after his career ends. Because it represents A’JA Wilson And it makes the players who use it feel that maybe one day they can be as her.
“My agent sent me a photo of a girl’s basketball tournament at invitation, and all the young women on the court carried single -leged meshes,” Wilson said. “That moment struck me differently. He reminded me that my way of introducing myself matters, and you never know who is seeing or feels inspired.”
