In the midst of the WNBA's 21st season, "not one player" has a shoe line to "call her own," according to Kelly Whiteside of the N.Y. TIMES. In early seasons, Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Fila released shoes for WNBAers Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Cynthia Cooper, Nikki McCray, Rebecca Lobo and Chamique Holdsclaw. Though now there are "more athletic shoes on the market specifically for women, many female players still make do with sneakers made for men." Lynx F Maya Moore in '11 became the "first female basketball player to sign an endorsement deal with Nike’s Jordan brand." Nike in '15 then "produced its first retail shoe with Moore." Jordan Brand now will "release a two-shoe special collection on Sept. 30 billed as a tribute to Moore." However, it will "not be called Air Maya." The Moore-inspired Air Jordan 1 Retro High ($95) and Air Jordan 10 Retro ($140) will be "sold in children’s extended sizes." A signature shoe "signals that a player has arrived." It is a multimillion-dollar investment in a player's "success and marketability." It is "less of a gamble to have a female player endorse an already established product line, and even less of a risk to roll out a player-edition shoe." Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said, "For the women, it’s still about marketing and sales, and it’s not there yet. If it was a big seller, you’d still see it. Sorry to say that, but it’s just reality" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/25).
COLOR RUSH: AD AGE's E.J. Schultz noted for Kobe Bryant, purple and yellow are "not just his former Laker uniform colors." Purple represents "overcoming challenges and setting fresh goals, while yellow signifies positivity, according to his views on the psychology of color that he articulates in a new campaign for Nike." The effort, dubbed "Mamba Mentality," is by R/GA, N.Y., and "plugs the new Kobe A.D. shoe that comes in five color varieties: grey, purple, blue, yellow and red." Nike said that the shoe collection launched globally Thursday (Aug. 24) in a "nod to the two uniform numbers (8 and 24) that he once wore" (ADAGE.com, 8/24).
