Our Favorite WNBA-Related Sneakers
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By Stadium Goods |Our Favorite WNBA-Related Sneakers
We’re celebrating the 2023 WNBA Finals with a look at a few of the best women’s basketball sneakers in our inventory.
Matt DeSciora
Admittedly, we haven’t talked as much about the great sneakers that have been worn by the WNBA’s brightest stars this season, but that changes today. With the Game 1 of the WNBA Finals matchup between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces tipping off this Sunday, we’re finally showing some long-awaited love to the best sneakers worn by the best players in the sport in 2023—and some recent WNBA-related colorways released by Nike that put on for women’s hoops.
We’re talking about Sabrina Ionescu’s first signature shoe with Nike Basketball, a special WNBA All-Star Game inspired colorway of Michael Jordan’s legendary Air Jordan 12, and a few other releases inspired by some of the game’s most iconic players and teams, like Lisa Leslie and the 1997-2000 Houston Comets.
As you can see, there’s been a lot of excitement in the world of women’s sneakers and, more specifically, women’s performance basketball sneakers in recent months. So much so, in fact, that we don’t even have stock of Liberty star Breanna Stewart’s first signature shoe with Puma, the Puma Stewie 1. That alone should tell you how much buzz there currently is surrounding women’s hoops sneakers.
Anyway, enough talking, let’s get right into the best WNBA-inspired sneakers out right now in celebration of the 2023 WNBA Finals. Don’t forget to catch Game 1 of the WNBA Finals this Sunday at 3pm EST.
Women’s Nike Sabrina 1 “Iconic - Photon Dust”
Sabrina Ionescu isn’t only one of the biggest stars in the WNBA, but one of the biggest stars in professional sports, period. Her dominance over the WNBA earned her a signature shoe contract with Nike Basketball, who released her first signature shoe, the Nike Sabrina 1, earlier this year. The response to Sabrina’s debut sneaker has been overwhelmingly positive—so much so that we only have a few sizes left of her Nike Sabrina 1 “Iconic - Photon Dust” left in stock.
Women’s Nike Dunk Low “Lisa Leslie”
Lisa Leslie was a pioneer in the sport of women’s basketball. So it’s only right that Nike honored the Basketball Hall of Famer with a special edition Dunk colorway. Released in 2022, the Dunk Low “Lisa Leslie” is a special edition sneaker that celebrates the 20th anniversary of when the legendary Los Angeles Sparks’ basketball player became the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game, in 2002. Leslie, who was an original member of the Sparks and WNBA from the league’s beginning in 1997, is immortalized on the Dunk by combining the Sparks’ team uniform colors with her “9” jersey number on its design.
Women’s Nike Dunk Low “Houston Comets - Four Peat”
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Houston Comets did something that not even Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and other iconic basketball players could do: win four consecutive championships. That’s right, from 1997 through 2000, the Comets, led by Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, three of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, won four straight WNBA Championships, a record that stands to this day. The Women’s Nike Dunk Low “Houston Comets - Four Peat” celebrates the accomplishment—as does the Women’s Nike Air Force 1 Low of the same nickname.
Women’s Nike Dunk High “WNBA x NBA”
Another WNBA-inspired sneaker with a low-key, “if you know, you know” vibe is the Women’s Nike Dunk High “WNBA x NBA,” also known as the “One Game” colorway. The design is 100% basketball-inspired, as it features orange textured and smooth leather panels with mismatched Swooshes in white and black. What’s more, WNBA and NBA logos are seen on various points on the shoe, completing the look.
Women’s Air Jordan 12 “WNBA All-Star - Brilliant Orange”
The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game showcased the sport’s brightest players—and a few special sneakers, too. The Women’s Air Jordan 12 “WNBA All-Star - Brilliant Orange” shows love to the WNBA with its basketball-textured orange accenting inspired by the league’s main color: orange. No WNBA branding is found on this Jordan 12, but that’s what makes the sneaker cool in our humble opinion. The “WNBA All-Star - Brilliant Orange” is definitely one of those “if you know, you know” shoes.
Maya Moore x Women’s Air Jordan 10 “Court Lux”
Created by stylist and sneaker designer Aleali May, the Maya Moore x Women’s Air Jordan 10 “Court Lux” is inspired by the former WNBA star. It’s also a sneaker that treats Michael Jordan’s tenth signature shoe to a makeover as eye-catching as Moore's style of play was during her all-too-brief career in the WNBA. Colorful panels constructed in suede appear on the shoe’s upper while a translucent outsole completes the look.