This offseason Aerial Powers could be spotted in local 24 Hour Fitness gyms. Lucky for those of us who didn’t catch her in person, the 5-foot-11 Minnesota Lynx forward-guard now playing her fifth season in the WNBA, filmed her pick-up game exploits. Since then, some of her videos have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram getting over half a million views.
Why you ask? Find out! Today we’ll share a few of our favorites as Aerial puts men who “talk junk” in their place. We’ll also reveal how Aerial’s videos came to be, and what else she has in store for hoopers on her social media. Plus, we’ll share the advice that helped her rack up 25-points in last night’s game.
Aerial went to the gym expecting a workout. “Most hoopers that play basketball, they know we got it and they don’t talk shit,” Aerial explained. But there are some that just don’t know when to pipe down.
Aerial’s now-viral videos from this summer showcase her schooling men who “talk junk about us, that don’t respect women’s basketball,” she told Insider. The reality is, that’s a situation many women will be familiar with. Aerial is at once shining a light on the problem, while also providing a solution: No one can talk back to a bucket.
“I fucking love it,” Aerial said with a grin. “There’s so many men that look at us and don’t look at us as athletes. They look at us as just women that try to play basketball.” But Aerial is a hooper through and through, and she doesn’t hesitate to let those men know they’re “too small.“
The 2019 WNBA champion also gives her opponents more than a fair opportunity to guard her before she goes to work. Here is our favorite video where Aerial hits a guy with a quick first step and drives. Then anticipates his ego is going to make him a jumping bean, so uses a simple stop and slight pump fake. After he flies by she hits the easy bucket.
While Aerial went to the gym just looking “to get some cardio,” her “competitive edge” took over as soon as she jumped in the game. “That’s how I was raised,” she said. “I mean, that’s how I became the player I am, playing with the boys every day at 6:00 PM in Detroit, Michigan.” The Detroit product is a joy to watch.
Aerial doesn’t just post videos of her dominating competition. Since last year, she has regularly shared new video content on her social media. Sometimes working with videographer Josh Englert who is also a producer for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Josh Okogie.
For hoopers looking to grow, Aerial takes viewers behind the scenes for a workout with WNBA rookie Nia Clouden, who was drafted to the Connecticut Sun. She also posts skills development clips such as how to shoot, drills, and weight lifting workouts.
Aerial knows how helpful it can be to learn from other basketball players. After beginning the WNBA season this year in the worst shooting slump of her career – 24.6% on field goals and 13.3% from three-point range – she texted six-time NBA Champion Michael Jordan for advice.
“It’s funny because I texted Michael Jordan last night,” Aerial said. “I told him, ‘I’m shooting bad. I’m in a shooting slump. I’ve never been in a shooting slump before. I’m shooting before practice, I’m shooting after practice, I’m shooting at shoot around, I’m just shooting extra shots, it’s not like I’m not getting reps.”
“He said, ‘Stop pressing, relax more, and let the game come to you…It’s OK to miss shots,'” Aerial recapped. She then went on to score a game-high 25 points in the Lynx’s 93-87 loss to the league-leading Las Vegas Aces last night.
Even the best hoopers can feel as though they’re dominating one day, and struggling the next. Like Aerial, stay on the grind, build your basketball confidence, and don’t forget to have fun along the way. You’ll find your power, too.
Follow Aerial Powers on Instagram at @aerial_powers23. Up next, learn all about Aerial’s Lynx teammate Napheesa Collier’s basketball career.
