The History of Women's Signature Basketball Sneakers
Women’s professional basketball has never been bigger than it is right now. The WNBA and its players are enjoying a brighter spotlight than they’ve ever received, with viewership ratings increasing every year since 2021. In the first three weeks of the 2024 season alone, average game viewership increased 51 per cent over the first three weeks of the 2023 season. That’s the kind of rapid growth most sports leagues can only dream of.
This unprecedented reach of the WNBA can be attributed to the league’s current and rising star players like Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, A’Ja Wilson, and Caitlin Clark. These four names are mentioned specifically because they all currently have, or will soon have, their own signature performance shoes. Indeed, it’s an exciting time for women’s basketball footwear, as we’re seeing more WNBA players making headlines than ever before.
But it hasn’t always been this way. The WNBA began play in 1997, and after the initial boom of women’s signature basketball shoes in the mid-to-late 1990s, there have been long lulls in the output of women’s hoops footwear. Since the women’s basketball shoe market is once again taking off, now is a great time to review the full history of signature athletes and their models in the WNBA.
Sheryl Swoopes: Seven Nike Air Swoopes Models (1995–2002)
When it comes to women’s signature basketball shoes, it all begins with Sheryl Swoopes. The first woman hooper to have her own shoe, she also still has the most signature models with seven Air Swoopes iterations. Nike, often ahead of the curve when it comes to footwear innovation and marketing, apparently saw a golden opportunity in giving Swoopes a signature shoe as the popularity of women’s basketball at all levels increased in the early-to-mid 1990s. It all led up to the USA women’s team winning gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the founding of the WNBA that same year. Swoopes was the first official WNBA player when she signed with the Houston Comets, but by the time play began for the inaugural 1997 season, she was already on her third signature shoe.
But let’s backtrack just a bit to talk about her first model, the Nike Air Swoopes. The landmark sneaker was not just the first women’s signature basketball shoe, but the first women’s signature athletic shoe period. And the Air Swoopes was not just a shoe that Nike slapped her name on. Swoopes was highly involved in the design process, which was fittingly led by a woman designer at Nike, Marni Gerber. Swoopes’s key requests were that the shoe be light, have ample ankle support, and look good. Most would agree that all those boxes were checked off in the Air Swoopes, as it still stands today as one of her best performing and coolest looking models out of the seven. Now, if we could only get a retro…
Rebecca Lobo: Reebok Lobo (1997)
The second woman to have a signature basketball shoe was Rebecca Lobo. After leading NCAA Women’s Basketball powerhouse University of Connecticut to a title in 1995 and a perfect 35-0 season, Reebok – who outfitted UConn – courted Lobo and eventually signed her to a contract that included a guarantee of a signature shoe. She won a gold medal with Team USA in 1996 wearing Reebok, and then her signature model dubbed simply The Lobo was ready for her to lace up for the first WNBA season in 1997. The design was on par with the rest of Reebok’s hoops footwear of the era. It featured wavy panels of white leather across the upper, metallic navy blue accents to match her New York Liberty team colours, and visible Hexalite in the heel. The Lobo is still Reebok’s only signature basketball shoe for a woman to date.
Lisa Leslie: Nike Air Total 9 (1998)
Lisa Leslie dominated the game of basketball at every level of play: she scored 101 points in her final high school game, averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds during her college career at USC, and was named National Player of the Year in 1994. She also helped lead Team USA to Olympic gold medals in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. And her list of achievements after she entered the WNBA isn’t short, either. One of the initial three athletes to sign WNBA contracts along with Swoopes and Lobo, Leslie led the Los Angeles Sparks to championships in 2001 and 2002; earned three WNBA MVPs; two finals MVPs; eight all-star appearances; and was the first WNBA player to dunk in a game.
Her signature sneaker catalogue isn’t nearly as long as her accolades would suggest or deserve, but at least she does have one of the coolest-looking women’s hoops models ever. The Nike Air Total 9 from 1998, sitting atop Nike’s then-new ‘Total Air’ full-length Air Max unit, featured a puffy quilted black leather upper and silver detailing inspired by her love for Chanel bags and jewellery. Performance sneakers with luxury aesthetics are commonplace today, but in 1998, Leslie was well ahead of the curve.
Dawn Staley: Nike Zoom S5 and S5 II (1998–99)
Dawn Staley had always put importance on wearing fresh sneakers since she was a kid growing up in the projects of Philadelphia, so it makes sense that her first signature shoe is another one of the best looking models you’ll see. After four years (1988–92) running point at the University of Virginia where she led the Cavaliers to three Final Fours and one national championship game, Staley played professionally in Europe and the short-lived women’s American Basketball League (ABL) before signing with the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting in 1999, which was the same year her first Nike signature model debuted. The speedy-looking Nike Zoom S5 was designed to fit like a glove with a supportive strap system that wrapped around the ankle from the back of the heel to the tongue. The shoe also included a supportive carbon fibre plate in the sole and Zoom Air cushioning. The S5 II followed a year later, but good luck finding a picture of it on the internet! Today you can still find Dawn on the sidelines as head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s team.
Cynthia Cooper: Nike Air Shake 'Em Up and Nike Air C14 (1998-99)
Cynthia Cooper was already a pro basketball veteran by the time she began playing in the WNBA for its inaugural season. She entered the league as a 34-year-old rookie after playing ten years in Europe, and then wasted no time picking up MVP honours in the league’s first two seasons of 1997 and 1998. From 1997 to 2000, she was also named Finals MVP consecutively as she led the Houston Comets to four straight championships.
Cooper had just one official signature shoe, the Nike Air C14, which was released in 1999 and featured a boldly colour-blocked leather upper and visible Air in the heel. We say ‘official’ because she is also associated with the Nike Air Shake ‘Em Up that released alongside Leslie and Staley’s sneakers in 1998. Cooper marketed the Air Shake ‘Em Up (great sneaker name, too, right?) in the fun ‘Little Rascals’ commercial series by Nike, which featured three sassy young basketball fans giving ‘advice’ to the pros.
Nikki McCray: FILA Nikki Delta (1999)
Like Lobo with Reebok, point guard Nikki McCray was the first and only WNBA player to ever have a FILA signature shoe. She was originally signed with Converse early in her pro career as a member of the 1996 USA team, as well as in the ABL where she was named the league’s MVP in 1997. McCray was the first player signed to the Washington Mystics after the WNBA added two expansion teams in 1998 along with the Detroit Shock (now the Dallas Wings). She signed a major $1-million contract with FILA that included a guarantee of her own signature shoe. McCray was heavily involved in designing the Nikki Delta, adding little flame motifs on the midsole in reference to her speed on the court and a #15 on the outsole so that every time you stepped, a ‘15’ would be left in the dirt. She also made sure the Nikki Delta released in both women’s and men’s sizing so everybody could wear a pair.
McCray was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, later passing away in 2023. Her memory lives on thanks to her illustrious career in basketball as a player and later coach, as well as her FILA sneaker.
Chamique Holdsclaw: Nike Shox BB4 Mique and Shox Mique (2001–02)
Chamique Holdsclaw was the first woman to grace the cover of , getting the nod from the hoops authority in 1998 after leading Tennessee to a three-peat of NCAA titles. Appearing in a New York Knicks uniform, the cover boldly asked: ‘Is the NBA ready for Chamique Holdsclaw?’ She was selected #1 overall in the 1999 WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics. Signed to a Nike contract, Holdsclaw was tapped by the brand to lead their then-new Shox line for basketball. In 2001, she received her own modified version of the classic Shox BB4, made famous in the NBA by Vince Carter. Sitting atop the same Shox tooling, her version of the BB4 featured a modified design with circular ‘moon crater’ shapes on the upper and her ‘H’ logo on the tongue. Even cooler than the men’s version, if you ask us. Her own fully unique shoe named the Shox Mique then released the following year.
Diana Taurasi: Nike Air Taurasi and Nike Shox DT (2005–06)
One of the most dominant women’s basketball players ever, Diana Taurasi was the WNBA’s biggest star for roughly the first two decades of the 2000s. Incredibly, she’s still on the roster of the Phoenix Mercury today at the age of 42, where she has played her entire WNBA career. She’s a three-time NCAA champion at UConn, three-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA finals MVP, ten-time WNBA all-star, five-time WNBA scoring champion, and the list goes on. And that’s not even including her playing career in Europe!
Taurasi’s signature sneaker timeline is brief in comparison, but she still can claim two Nike models. After being the #1 pick in the 2004 WNBA draft and earning Rookie of the Year that season, Taurasi received her first signature model in 2005 dubbed the Air Taurasi. Her pairs featured a full-length Air Max unit; however, the retail version only had a smaller heel Air unit and retailed for $95. The following year, Nike released the Shox DT, marketed mostly as a team shoe in a variety of colours. Her signature line ends there… sort of. In 2021, Nike and LeBron James honoured Taurasi with a special edition of the LeBron 18 nicknamed ‘La Cabra’, which is Spanish for ‘The Goat’ as a reference to her being arguably the greatest WNBA player of all time.
Candace Parker: adidas Ace Commander and Ace Versatility (2010–11)
After a successful college career at Tennessee (she was one of three Lady Vols to later have a signature shoe including McCray and Holdsclaw) that included two NCAA championship titles, Parker entered the WNBA as the #1 pick in 2008 and one of the most hyped prospects in league history. Signing to a long-term deal with adidas, Parker soon received a signature ‘Ace’ line, nicknamed after the last three letters of her first name. Her first model, the Ace Commander, featured design details requested by Parker including a support strap and multicoloured outsole inspired by her love for Skittles.
Although her Ace line ended after two models, Parker continued wearing adidas basketball shoes in PE colours throughout her career, which included three WNBA championships with the LA Sparks (2016), Chicago Sky (2021), and Las Vegas Aces (2023). In 2021, Parker’s Ace line was refreshed as the ‘Candace Parker Collection’ including court-ready footwear and apparel. Parker retired from the WNBA in April 2024 and was named by adidas as their president of women’s basketball less than a month later.
Breanna Stewart: PUMA Stewie, Stewie 2 and Stewie 3 (2022–Present)
After Candace Parker’s signature adidas line ended in 2011, there was a decade-long drought for women’s signature basketball footwear. But in 2021, PUMA signed star power forward Breanna Stewart to a deal with a promise of a signature model. Stewart began her WNBA career in 2016 as the #1 pick of the Seattle Storm after an absolutely dominant college career at UConn where she became the only player in NCAA history to win four consecutive most outstanding player awards and four national championships. Now with the New York Liberty after leading the Storm to two titles, Stewart is repping her Stewie line on basketball’s biggest stage.
In hindsight, PUMA, who had just relaunched their performance basketball line in 2018, resuscitated the women’s basketball sneaker industry as soon as Stewart’s PUMA Stewie 1 launched. The well-received signature line, now on its third model, proved that there was once again a market for women’s signature models. Get out your umbrella, basketball fans, the drought is over.
Elena Delle Donne: Nike Deldon (2022)
Elena Delle Donne has stated that she originally fell in love with the game of basketball because of Sheryl Swoopes’s signature sneaker line, so it’s quite an amazing story for her to get her own Nike signature shoe nearly three decades later. Released in 2022, the Nike Deldon features Nike’s FlyEase technology that allows hands-free access in and out of the shoe, a decision that was made in honour of her older sister, Lizzie, who was born deaf and blind with cerebral palsy and autism. Delle Donne wanted to create a shoe that was accessible for all and also looked stylish and performed well. Mission accomplished.
Well before the Nike Deldon released in 2022, Delle Donne had already been championing the FlyEase tech. During her first WNBA All-Star appearance in 2015, she wore a modified version of the LeBron James Nike Zoom Soldier FlyEase, becoming the first Nike pro to wear a FlyEase sneaker on court.
Sabrina Ionescu: Nike Air Sabrina 1 and Air Sabrina 2 (2023–Present)
With her Nike Air Sabrina 1, Sabrina Ionescu is the latest WNBA player to have a signature shoe on the market. The former Oregon Duck broke the NCAA’s triple-double record and is the only college player with over 2000 points, 1000 assists, and 1000 rebounds. The #1 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, Ionescu unsurprisingly signed with Nike despite formidable offers from other brands and no initial guarantee of a signature shoe from the Swoosh. But when you know Phil Knight personally, what choice do you have?
Her loyalty to Nike paid off, as it was eventually decided that she would indeed have her own signature model. Ionescu’s favourite shoe was the Kobe 5, which you can clearly see the influence of in the Sabrina 1. The design also takes inspiration from the Hyperdunk X Low, her shoe of choice throughout college, which is referenced with the midfoot fit and support cables. The Sabrina 1 also includes full-length React foam with Zoom Air in the forefoot. It all stacks up to one of the most popular and best looking signature hoops shoes – for any gender – in recent years. The shoe was well-received by Nike-sponsored NBA players in the 2023-24 season, with numerous players hitting the court in pairs, including stars Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jalen Brunson.
Just launched on June 28, 2024 is the Sabrina 2. It features a similar design to the Sabrina 1, but with plenty of upgrades. According to Nike, the shoe is 28 grams lighter than her first model without sacrificing support, stability, or comfort. Picking up where the Nike Kobe line left off, Ionescu’s signature line is proving that a basketball shoe doesn’t have to have a man’s name on it to be one of the hottest sellers.
A’ja Wilson: Nike A’One (2025)
It’s A’ja Wilson who’s next in the women’s signature sneaker game. The star centre of the Las Vegas Aces took to social media in May 2024 to confirm that Nike will be lacing her up with her own shoe via a photo of herself wearing a hoodie with the text: ‘Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com.’ If you go to ofcourseihaveashoe.com, it redirects you to Nike Basketball’s official page that currently features a short promo video for her, as well as a look into the design process of her signature star-shaped ‘A’ logo. There’s been no look at the shoe yet, but if A’ja’s style and charisma on and off the court is any indication, we all know it’s going to be a heater.
Caitlin Clark: Nike Signature Shoe (Unconfirmed Release Date)
Basketball’s newest superstar Caitlin Clark has had a huge 2024 so far, to say the least. She broke NCAA basketball’s all-time Division I scoring record (formerly held by LSU legend Pete Maravich for 54 years), led her team to the NCAA women’s title game, became the #1 pick in the WNBA Draft, and is now a big part of the reason the WNBA is currently breaking those attendance and viewership records we mentioned way back in the intro for this story. Oh yeah, and Nike gave her a reported $20 million deal that includes a signature sneaker.
Thanks to Caitlin, A’ja, Sabrina, and the rest of the WNBA’s shining stars, excitement for the game of basketball has never been greater. It’s simple math: when basketball is booming, so are basketball sneakers. A new golden era of hoops shoes seems to be well on the way. We’re ready.