Aerial Powers was featured in episode three of Gucci's gaming crossover series, "GG Legends." Powers spoke about her experiences growing up in Detroit, her basketball journey, and her gaming career.
This week, luxury fashion house Gucci and gaming company ESL FACEIT Group dropped the latest episode of GG Legends. The new series follows the lives of some of gaming and esports most interesting and successful – and their journeys through adversity to achieve greatness.
This week's episode features WNBA star Aerial Powers.
Powers' stardom in the gaming world has been rising over the past few years. In 2020, Powers began working with the NBA 2K League, starting tournaments for women. That same year, she partnered with Gamers.Vote to spread voting awareness among the gaming community. In 2021, she joined Team Liquid as a streamer and diversity ambassador. Less than a year later, she became part owner of the organization.
Aerial Powers' gaming history goes back far
"I've been a gamer since Nintendo 64," Powers said, "My mother was one of the first women I ever [saw] play."
Powers and her father also detailed how the two used gaming while Aerial was overseas playing basketball.
For Aerial, gaming with her father helped reduce the feeling of isolation she dealt with in China.
"That was the most isolation I ever felt in my life," she said. "Imagine being somewhere where you cannot really verbally communicate with your counterparts, and then going home alone for hours and hours."
For her father, it gave him a sense of protection over his daughter.
"Having Aerial in China away from us, truly away from us was scary," he said. "It wasn't like I could say I'm on the way. But gaming, it shrunk that distance…for however many hours we're playing, she's at home."
Aerial Powers on diversity in gaming
While Powers is working to improve diversity in gaming, she admitted the diversity in the space was already better than she expected
"When I really got myself involved in the gaming world, I was like, man, it looks male dominated and it's truly, truly not," Powers explained. "So I started the 2K tournament. It was a space where women can come, feel included, feel heard, to where everybody feels equal."
The tournament was just the beginning, and Powers' initiatives with Team Liquid have grown since then. Since she's been working with the organization, they have expanded their opportunities. Their Valorant women's team recently won its first championship.
"Opportunities like that, and creating that for more and more women or people of color in the gaming space is where I see my future heading," Powers said. "I want to be able to let everyone know when hard work, resilience, consistency is met with the opportunity, great things can happen. I'm a result of that."
Aerial Powers is already leaving a legacy
"Gaming, man, she wants to make it something special for everyone…it's great to be powerful, but to truly be powerful is when you share your power," Powers' father said. "She shares that power."
Michigan State head coach Suzy Merchant said that Powers "will touch your soul" and "make you a better person."
"I'm a young girl from Detroit. Never thought I could be a co-owner of anything. Never thought I could break all the records I did at MSU, and also become a WNBA champion," Powers said. "For me, when I think of legacy, I think of a roadmap, showing people that you can do anything you put your mind to."
You can watch GG Legends Episode Three featuring Aerial Powers here.
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