Sneaker Rivals: WNBA All-Star Edition

Heading into this year’s All-Star Game, the WNBA’s 30th anniversary season has produced a number of intriguing storylines for fans to sink their teeth into, with numbers that the league has not seen since they debuted back in 1997. How much of that discussion online is about things that are actually taking place on the basketball court? It’s hard to say because Stephen A. Smith probably just finished a First Take segment repeating culture war talking points he heard elsewhere, Christine Brennan has books to sell, and social media needs their latest thing to rage about.

Imagine if they actually talked about how well the Minnesota Lynx were doing led by rookie phenom Olivia Miles or how the Golden State Valkyries are only two years in and they’re near the top of the standings. Maybe save some space for what Caitlin Clark is actually doing on the court, good and bad, or that A’ja Wilson might be on the verge of making history again with a fifth MVP award, breaking the record held by (checks notes) A’ja Wilson. Since this is Sole Retriever, let’s talk about what is looking like the most loaded sneaker lineup in WNBA All-Star Game history, and Sabrina Ionescu wasn’t even selected because she missed half the season.

As part of the league showcasing the legends who paved the way for this generation of stars, the All-Star teams are captained by Teresa Witherspoon and Cynthia Cooper. Paige Bueckers was automatically selected by Team Coop by virtue of being the lead vote getter while Clark landed on Team Spoon for getting the second most votes. Team Spoon will also include fellow Nike signature athlete A’ja Wilson and Oliva Miles who currently does not have a sneaker deal. Team Coop includes Puma signature athlete Breanna Stewart, Reebok’s Angel Reese, and a number of players who will be showing out in PEs. Let’s check out the sneaker game from each squad and who to watch for.

Team Spoon

Starters: Caitlin Clark (Nike), A’ja Wilson (Nike), Rhyne Howard (Jordan Brand), Allisha Gray (Nike), Nneka Ogwumike (EQLZ)

Sixth Woman: Olivia Miles (?)

If Caitlin Clark doesn’t debut a new colorway of the Nike Caitlin 1, we have failed as a society, and society has already failed Caitlin many times with the way people have used her to push agendas she has nothing to do with. The nearly all-white “Snow White” pair that she’s worn on court could have been part of Nike’s White Label Collection for All-Star, or it might be a teaser for what we are going to see on the court this Sunday. The stage is set for (what should be) the most-watched WNBA All-Star Game in the league’s history, and it’s not unreasonable to think Nike will deliver with something new that will get the fans buzzing.

The world knows what A’ja Wilson will be rocking on Sunday, and it is the White Label Nike A’Two, a premium rendition of her second signature shoe. The luxurious details might get lost in the heat of the contest, but the chrome hits on the Swoosh and signature logo make the shoe shine. The multiple-time regular season and Finals MVP winner has yet to add All-Star MVP to her resumé, so that might be something on her radar this weekend.

Another All-Star who has worn the A’Two throughout the season is Allisha Gray, who was Wilson’s teammate at South Carolina where they won a National Championship in 2017. Gray will sprinkle in some GT Cuts and Kobes to break up the streak of A’Ones and A’Twos, but she is more often than not rocking her friend’s signature kicks.

Rhyne Howard’s Jordan player exclusives have been part of her repertoire since signing on with the Jumpman in 2022. Her latest offerings include a mismatched pair of the Jordan Tatum 4, which is symbolic of her mental health journey and the people who have been an important part of her life, and an Air Jordan 40 with graffiti art on the side panels.

Veteran All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and first-timer Olivia Miles are at interesting points in their sneaker journeys. After wearing Nike and adidas for most of her career, Ogwumike has switched to the independent brand EQLZ. The 11-time All-Star wears the Aaron Cooper-designed EQLZ 247, the brand’s first basketball model, although she swapped back to adidas for a spell earlier this season.

In her first season, Miles has been wearing the adidas Crazy Energy Execution and breaking WNBA rookie records in the process. Adidas might have Miles on their roster, but she hasn’t been getting the same attention from the brand as fellow All-Star Aliyah Boston and newly signed Kelsey Plum. Hopefully that starts to change as the calls for her to go beyond the adidas Crazy Energy line grow.

Team Coop

Starters: Paige Bueckers (Nike), Breanna Stewart (Puma), Angel Reese (Reebok), Kelsey Mitchell (Puma), Kelsey Plum (adidas)

Sixth Woman: Natasha Howard (Nike)

With a suddenly crowded field of Nike signature athletes in the WNBA, is it possible that leading vote getter Paige Bueckers might miss out on her opportunity to headline a sneaker of her own? That seems unlikely if her star continues to grow and becomes undeniable, but in the meantime, her sneaker game has consisted of GT Cut Turbos and Kobe Protros. It would not be surprising to see her in the Nike Kobe 3 Low Protro WNBA All-Star on Sunday.

Breanna Stewart’s time with Puma has led to one of the most enduring signature shoe lines in the history of women’s basketball. The Puma Stewie 5 has already enjoyed championship success as Stewart wore them when she returned to the EuroLeague to play for Fenerbahçe S.K. and win the Final this past April.

When people are able to talk about Angel Reese solely for her performance on the court, they’ll see one of the game’s best rebounders who many feel can only get better over time. And as one of the five players with a signature shoe line in the league, she is one of the best at letting her personality shine through her sneakers. With a perfectly-timed collaboration with Barbie on the way that includes an actual doll kids can buy and a new colorway for the Reebok Angel Reese 1, just like Clark, Reese will be one of the biggest stars that people will be paying attention to this weekend, for all the right and wrong reasons.

A pair of Kelseys (Kelsi?) made sneaker headlines earlier this season. Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell signed with Puma and became the first athlete to operate under Tyrese Haliburton’s Hali sub-brand, and Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum made the switch to adidas after a long run with Under Armour. The timing couldn’t be better because as Haliburton continues to recover from injuries, Mitchell has worn the Hali 1 far more times and in more colorways on the court than its namesake. Plum’s arrival at adidas came with plenty of fanfare as she was featured in a commercial for Anthony Edwards’ Believe That 1 takedown sneaker. She’s already caught up on the “rivalry” as she covered the Swoosh on her jersey in all of her media day shoots.

Rounding out the sneaker lineup on Team Coop is Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard. Besides A’ja Wilson, Howard is the most ready for All-Star as she’s already rocking the Nike Kobe 3 Low Protro All-Star prior to the showcase, along with different Nike Ja 3 colorways. If that’s the case, her footwear choices could come down to the Kobe 3 or the Nike Ja 3 White Label.

Historical Moment: Sue Bird in the Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 Birdy PE USA PE

This week, Nike is honoring one of the league’s GOATs with a first-time release of Sue Bird’s iconic Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 Birdy player exclusive. The sneaker left a lasting memory with Sue as she won her first WNBA Championship in the colorway, and it ended up on her statue outside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

With the retro releasing, one would think that there would be plenty of pictures of Sue rocking them during the 2004 All-Star Game. But there was no All-Star Game in the traditional sense as the league paused its season to allow its players, including Sue, to participate in the Olympics in Greece. There was an exhibition game that pitted Team USA against a select group of WNBA players, where Sue wore a red and white Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com