Before the summer of 2021 — when the NCAA officially announced athletes could begin to benefit from their name, image, and likeness — women basketball players around the world counted down the days until they heard their names called at the WNBA Draft.
Now, with upwards of millions at their fingertips, today’s top women’s college basketball stars are in no rush to leave their campuses for the ongoing salary gaps and unavoidable roadblocks on the path to the official stamp of stardom: a signature shoe.
I spoke with NCAA champion Angel Reese, WNBA pioneer Lisa Leslie, ESPN sneaker expert Nick DePaula, Nike innovation sourcing strategy manager Malcolm Hodge, and more to evaluate whether companies have a true strategy on how to serve all parties better — and why some rising stars are still left out of these lucrative deals.
