"One of a Kind"

16 May 2025

60s

Top-tier entertainment.

You know you've made it when children make a song about you in a Nike ad. OK, the song was written for the kids to sing and is based on the 'Miss Mary Mack' nursery rhyme, but A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces should be pleased nonetheless. Directed by Jenn Nkiru, 'One of a Kind' is a clap-tacular celebration of Wilson and her impact both on and off the court.

If the former is covered by lyrics such as "A'ja Wilson's on top, top, top/Can't take her spot, spot, spot" and "She won M-V-P, P, P/One, two and three, three, three", then the latter is conveyed through her signature logo (her own Jumpman or Black Mamba, if you will) and cheerleaders who copy her one leg sleeve look. As the song gathers pace, the Wilson effect only gets stronger.

Nkiru and editor Sam Ostrove do it justice from start to finish. Three-quarters of the way through (after a lovely pause for breath inside a church), the pink-tinged ad speeds up once as if it wants to carry on for longer, but knows it can't. Leave them hungry and thirsty for more—we can only hope the next Wilson spot is as good as this one.

USA

Sportswear