Between A'ja Wilson And Sabrina Ionescu (And Caitlin Clark) at Nike, Breanna Stewart at Puma, or even Angel Reese At Reebok, women's basketball stars are finally getting their fair share of recognition in the basketball footwear market. In 2022, Puma was the first to express this renewed interest by offering Breanna Stewart a signature shoe, the Stewie 1, following in the footsteps of Candace Parkerthe last player to have benefited from such recognition, twelve years earlier.
For its part, adidas has fallen behind in this arms race and is now counting on its former muse to rectify the situation. The three-time WNBA champion was named president of the brand's women's basketball department shortly after announcing her retirement four months ago and her mission is clear: create a range of high-performance shoes and find players capable of embodying this new project.
In search of the rare bird
For Candace Parker, it will also be a question of repositioning adidas in a segment that has grown quite rapidly in recent years.
“It's been shouted from the rooftops that women can be role models, that they can be on the covers of video games, and now they can own their own basketball shoes. Today, I think the world is catching up. We see the power and influence of women in sports, but also in leadership positions,” she told “The Boardroom”. “Adidas was one of the first brands to have a signature shoe for a woman. Now it’s something that’s popular, but back then it wasn’t. It was a real investment. To be part of this brand that had this vision long before anyone else, it’s exciting for the future.”
Adidas is banking on the long term to gradually regain its place, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in its sights, an event that will inevitably be close to the heart of the Sparks legend, who hopes that Olympic athletes will then embody the new face of the brand in this sector.
“I want Olympians. Our goal is to have five or six for the next Olympics. I say that loud and clear and I’m proud of it. I think it’s important. It’s the next level up and it’s a hell of a level. We want MVPs, long-term All-Stars. We’re going to get to work and make sure we can have that.”
A question of time and means
The question remains to this day, which player sufficiently known to the general public could have the profile to benefit in turn from a line of signature shoes? Candace Parker has her idea in mind, even if the time is not for rushing.
“A signature athlete has to be a real basketball player. Someone who has to have the ball, and that’s the bare minimum. That’s what we’re looking for. Having a signature shoe is a big weight, and a signature collection is a big weight. We’re not going to take it lightly and rush into our decisions. We’re going to take our time, and make sure we put everything we have through this brand to support our signature athlete.”she continued. “We have to make sure that we are able to put the resources behind this person to make them successful. Without marketing, without support, and without money, Justin Bieber and Beyoncé would have had a hard time selling anything. We have to first take the right person, but also make sure that we support the project and the development of their brand.”
Candace Parker and adidas have big ambitions for this new project. Isn't the wake-up call coming a little late? We'll have to wait several years to answer this question. What is certain is that the brand with the three stripes will be on the ball to unearth the nuggets of tomorrow, otherwise it will have to try to poach from the competition.
“My impact probably won’t be felt until fall 2025, because the shoes and the campaigns are long-term planning. Where do we want to be in two or three years? We’re working behind the scenes now to get there.”
