History of WNBA shoe deals: Full list of every player with signature shoes, from Sheryl Swoopes to Caitlin Clark

David Suggs

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History of WNBA shoe deals: Full list of every player with signature shoes, from Sheryl Swoopes to Caitlin Clark image

As with any professional sport in the Western world, women's basketball is only as big as its stars are. Since the WNBA's inception, there have been countless celestial objects capable of captivating the masses. Just a select few have done so while rocking their own signature shoe, however.

It's an achievement reserved for only the creme de la creme. At least that's how it's tended to be in the past; players only received their stripes after setting the hardwood ablaze over the course of multiple seasons.

That might not be entirely the case nowadays: athletes are tipped for greatness not only by the fans but also corporations can earn a fast pass to the upper crust of basketball stardom.

Nevertheless, the significance of the shoe deal isn't going anywhere in the near future. Just ask Fever star Caitlin Clark, who parlayed a sumptuous college career into an eight-figure Nike deal that, among other perks, is expected to give her the opportunity to sport her own signature shoe.

Clark is the latest in a line of women hoopers to receive such a distinction. Speckled across the list of those special talents are Hall-of-Famers and trend-setters, WNBA champions and Olympic gold medalists. It's truly an elite bunch.

So, without further ado, here's a look at the 13 players — both past and present — to receive a signature shoe as part of their contract with a shoe outfitter.

MORE: The story behind Lisa Leslie's historic first WNBA dunk

History of WNBA players with shoe deals

Just 13 WNBA players have had the honor to wear their own signature line of shoes, starting with Comets icon Sheryl Swoopes in 1995 and most recently occurring in 2024, when it was reported that Nike and Caitlin Clark's deal included an agreement to craft a signature shoe for Clark.

Here's a closer look at those magnificent 13, as well as the sneakers they sported at their absolute pomp.

Sheryl Swoopes (Nike Air Swoopes, 1995-2002)

Swoopes was long considered the women's basketball equivalent to Michael Jordan. And much like His Airness, Swoopes, too, received the grand honor of having her own personalized shoe crafted by Nike in 1995.

It started a trend for the company, which released seven iterations of Swoopes' signature sneaker during her career.

Rebecca Lobo (Reebok Lobo, 1997)

Swoopes burst through the glass ceiling. A slew of hooping marvels followed her footsteps, including former UConn star Rebecca Lobo, who inked a deal with Reebok one month prior to the 1996 Olympics — an event she would take part in as a member of Team USA.

In addition to a gaudy paycheck, Lobo's deal ensured that she would receive her own line of sneakers at some point in the future.

Lobo's dream came to fruition in 1997, when Reebok released "The Lobo", a pristine white sneaker with a black midsole that hit the market right before the WNBA's inaugural game.

Lisa Leslie (Nike Total Air 9, 1998)

Leslie was the next supernova to take flight, earning acclaim for her performances with USC and, eventually, the Sparks.

Leslie had always been a fashionista at heart. She even signed with highly-touted fashion agency Wilhelmina modeling agency before joining Los Angeles. As such, her signature shoe — released by Nike in 1998 — had to pay homage to the stylings which caught her eye during her adolescence.

With a quilted black leather pattern which mimicked that of Chanel handbags, Leslie's sneaker took the industry by storm. It featured, among other things, Nike's signature Total Air Max unit, technology that still exists in the company's modern shoe releases.

Dawn Staley (Nike Zoom S5 and S5 II, 1998-99)

Staley joined the ranks as a Nike athlete after touring the company's facilities to offer insight on their women's sneaker department. It was a bit of an unconventional journey compared to some of her counterparts — Staley didn't join the WNBA until 1999, having played in the American Basketball League (ABL) beforehand.

Despite getting a late start, Staley was a pivotal part of the company's braintrust. She even took samples of her first signature shoe, the Nike Zoom S5s, to an asphalt court in her beloved hometown Philadelphia.

“The prototype probably wasn’t wearable but, yeah, I took ’em back to my ’hood to get some feedback,” Staley said, per Andscape's Aaron Dodson. “Nobody had a bad thing to say about it, because I think they were all in awe that I actually had a signature shoe.”

In the end, Staley christened the S5, a leather-bound number which featured a strap and that legendary Zoom Air cushion.

Staley was more than pleased with the creation.

“I think my shoe was the flyest of them all,” she said. “Some women’s shoes look like women’s shoes. I didn’t think my shoe looked like a woman’s shoe. It looked like a dude could really appreciate it and wear it.

“The Zoom S5 was a beautiful shoe. Nike needs to bring that thing back.”

Cynthia Cooper (Nike Air C14, 1999)

Nike continued its exploits of rounding up the best women's basketball players to rep their brand by inking a deal with Cynthia Cooper in the late-1990s.

Cooper was a late bloomer, having joined the WNBA as a 34-year old rookie in 1997 after enjoying a 10-year odyssey in Europe. She proceeded to shoot the lights out in her first four seasons, leading the Comets to four straight WNBA titles (all of which resulted in her winning Finals MVP) while picking up two regular season MVP awards.

She parlayed her success to some signature kicks of her own, with Nike dropping the Nike Air C14's in 1999.

Nikki McCray (Fila Nikki Delta, 1999)

Fila became a presence in the basketball shoe industry throughout the 1990s, releasing a series of storied classics, including the Fila Stackhouse's (named after Jerry Stackhouse) and the Grant Hill's. They also released a shoe honoring the women's game and Mystics star Nikki McCray after the former Tennessee star inked a $1 million deal with them.

McCray's shoes were released in both men's and women's sizes. She received significant creative control throughout the shoe's creation process, too.

Chamique Holdsclaw (Nike Shoe BB4 Mique and Shox Mique, 2001-02)

From one Mystics star to another. Chamique Holdsclaw was among the most highly-touted prospects in women's basketball history coming out of Tennessee. The hype was so palpable that Adidas and Nike engaged in a bidding war in the hopes of securing Holdsclaw's signature.

In the end, it was Nike who won. And ahead of her rookie season, they gave her the reins to her very own sneaker. It was one that was also a conduit to showcase Nike's new alteration, Shox technology.

Diana Taurasi (Nike Air Taurasi and Shox DT, 2005-06)

As one of women's basketball's greatest talents, it's unsurprising to see that Taurasi got an official sneaker deal on account of her greatness.

Taurasi's kick were adorned with her signature logo (a Maserati logo turned to resemble a three). It was a fairly unspectacular shoe, especially when compared to the more ornate and deliberate efforts of the 1990s. But it was something for women's hoop fans to nibble on for a little while longer.

Candace Parker (Adidas Ace Commander and Ace Versatility, 2010-11)

Parker was the next player to receive the honor of having a signature shoe created in their image, taking the floor in Adidas' Ace Commander and Ace Versatility in the early 2010s.

Inspired in part by her nickname, Ace (which stemmed from people misspelling her first name), Parker's shoes featured a host of intricacies rooted in her life experiences. Ace is scrawled across the surface of the second shoe, while the first shoe features a candy-colored outsole inspired by her love of Skittles.

Breanna Stewart (Puma Stewie)

Stewart seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of Taurasi since making her debut at UConn back in 2012. And much like Taurasi, after Stewart made her mark on the professional game, she was rewarded with a gift: her own pair of signature sneakers, released by Puma in 2022.

As far as low-tops go, Stewart's are about as loud and brash as they can get. Most of the colorways related to Stewart's releases cite certain emotions, feelings or places she has experienced in her adult life. 

Elena Delle Donne (Nike Air Deldon, 2022)

Delle Donne is one of basketball's greatest-ever talents. And after achieving all that she could achieve in the professional game, she finally received her just rewards in the form of a signature shoe released back in 2022.

The shoe pays homage to numerous parts of Delle Donne's life. Most importantly, though, it comes equipped with Nike's FlyEase, handsfree technology which emerged in 2015 and works to help those living with disabilities to put on shoes.

Sabrina Ionescu (Nike Air Sabrina, 2023)

Having repped the Nike swoosh while at Oregon, Sabrina Ionescu was always destined to join the brand when the opportunity presented itself.

And after taking the league by storm with countless parking lot three pointers, Ionescu earned her keep, becoming the 30th basketball player (man or woman) to receive a signature shoe.

The Sabrinas come with a few interesting details, including a series of Romanian art styles which pay tribute to Ionescu's Eastern European roots.

“It was superimportant to me [to incorporate] where I come from, how I got here and the sacrifices that my parents and my family have taken in order for me to play the game that I love,” she said. “I wanted to showcase that in the shoe.”

Multiple items dropped to celebrate the release, from t-shirts to handbags. The shoe has seemed to have captured the sports' world interests, too. Mikal Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton and Jrue Holiday were all among NBA players to have sunk their foot into Ionescu's shoe.

MORE: How Sabrina Ionescu's shoe became a favorite worn by NBA, WNBA players alike

A'ja Wilson (Nike A'One, 2025)

Nike addressed long-standing rumors (and criticism) by finally announcing a shoe deal for A'ja Wilson on the eve of the 2024 WNBA season. The two-time MVP was the highest profile player in the WNBA without one, which led to public pressure on Nike to better represent Black female athletes. Wilson is the first Black WNBA player to get a signature sneaker since 2010.

Wilson definitely noted the conversation online and had some fun with it during Nike's announcement (wearing a sweatshirt that read: "Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com."

"We’ve been working on this for a couple of years now, and I just wanted it to be perfect," Wilson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I didn’t want this to be something that was just like a handout."

The Nike A'One (and a corresponding clothing line) are set to debut in 2025.

Caitlin Clark (TBA)

Caitlin Clark's yet-to-be-announced signature sneaker might be the worst-kept secret in sports. The Wall Street Journal and other outlets have reported extensively on Nike's plans to roll out a shoe deal worth up to $28 million. 

Clark, a Nike athlete since 2022, is still reportedly finalizing the finer details and a timeline for when the shoe might drop. With similar shoe deals usually taking 1-2 years to develop, Clark may not be wearing her own shoe until 2026-27.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.