With the WNBA offseason comes change, but sometimes, that change can shake a franchise’s future. If the Washington Mystics don’t figure things out quickly, their situation will turn into a dumpster fire, and that is not where they want to be.
The 2023 season was not very kind to Washington. The franchise was plagued by many injuries, including significant injuries to Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver and Shakira Austin. Still, Washington was riding confidently into the postseason, supported by a gutsy last-second heave from Brittney Sykes to beat the New York Liberty during their last regular season game — only to lose to New York in the first round just days later.
In December 2023, Kristi Toliver retired, opting to become the associate head coach for the Phoenix Mercury. Owner Ted Leonsis also unveiled plans that could potentially uproot the Mystics to Capital One Arena, leaving them vulnerable to poor attendance records. But the pain doesn’t stop there.
This month, there were franchise-shifting moves. Natasha Cloud signed with the Mercury (where Toliver is now on staff), and on February 7, news broke that Elena Delle Donne is stepping away from basketball.
Breaking: Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne has decided to take some time away from basketball and does not intend to sign the one-year super max offer from the Mystics, sources told @ramonashelburne. pic.twitter.com/0Wdf4zLtly
As we’ve seen with the Chicago Sky this offseason, things can change very quickly. Like Chicago, it’s hard to understand where Washington is going, and they almost certainly look like a dumpster fire waiting to happen. Perhaps these are the first steps to rebuilding and a sign of things to come. But if they aren’t, fans are not going to be happy with the shaky foundation ownership has seemingly created.
Well, at least Washington fans have the Wizards to fall back on — oh no!
The WNBA is full of hoopers. Even in a celebrity game, buckets will be had.
Hoopers want to be around other hoopers, and that includes teaming up at the NBA All-Star game. The event, scheduled for later this month, will host several of the NBA’s best, but the WNBA is also making an appearance. A’ja Wilson, Natasha Cloud, and Jewell Loyd will be part of the 2024 All-Star Celebrity Game.
Just days ago, Steph Curry challenged Sabrina Ionescu to a 3-point contest, and she eagerly accepted. Now, her fellow hoopers are getting in on the action by agreeing to play in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. A’ja Wilson will coach new Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud on Stephen A. Smith’s team, and Jewell Loyd will play for Shannon Sharpe.
Cloud’s message inspired quite a few people and has over 40,000 impressions on Twitter in less than 24 hours.
Natasha Cloud is no stranger to criticism about her life, her game and her activism, but it doesn’t stop her from fulfilling what she sees as her purpose. On Thursday, Cloud took to Twitter to share some thoughts and how she views her role in the world.
“My passion, my heart, my fearlessness of speaking up when I do not agree, my innate protection of people/things I love & care for, my light (which involves my loud & annoying goofiness) are always & have always been vilified,” Cloud tweeted.
Cloud is always dancing on the sidelines during games and making fans and teammates laugh. But life isn’t all fun and games, and Cloud takes the serious parts of life with a sense of purpose. She is a social justice activist and is always on the frontline fighting for body autonomy, against police brutality and for equal rights.
I truly believe God intended my heart to be a servant to others; Whether that’s my activism, my career, my family/friends, my community, etc. … He made my heart big enough to protect, to fight for and to give all of my annoying ass energy, light and love to everyone.
She mentioned that at one point she thought she should hide her light and not be her authentic self since she felt others mistook her kindness for weakness and took advantage of her. However, she knew she had a bigger calling and that her unique talents and heart were needed.
I say all this to say..I know there’s a lot of rare and dope souls who are ready to stop being who they are. PLEASE DONT. It’s a part of your divine purpose. & people need your energy, your light & your love everyday. Shiii there’s people that literally DEPEND on it!
Cloud’s message inspired quite a few people and has over 40,000 impressions on Twitter in less than 24 hours. She is in the Washington Mystics’ training camp where she is undoubtedly inspiring her teammates both on and off the court. Thank you, Natasha, for sharing your wise words and taking time out of your hectic schedule to pour into others.
These players should have a myriad of sponsorship deals, why don’t more brands understand the value of these players?
The 2023 WNBA draft is April 10 and while some of the brightest names in women’s basketball are set to take the stage, there are numerous WNBA players that you should know.
While many NIL dollars are being spent on collegiate athletes, less are being spent on women’s professional athletes. Players like Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud recently opined why she doesn’t have a sponsorship with a pet brand. PetSmart recently did an NIL deal with Arkansas football player Trey Knox and his dog, Blue. Cloud has double the following on Twitter as Knox, but no pet brands have a sponsorship with Cloud. Other WNBA players in particular have wondered why brands aren’t pushing their advertising dollars into the professional women’s basketball world. WNBA players are great brand partners and have a fanbase that hangs on their every word.
While platforms like Parity focus on solely connecting elite female athletes with brands that match their mission, the percentage of sponsorships of female athletes is still much smaller than their male counterparts.
Due to this disparity, I founded Your Potential for Everything to help women and the underrepresented in sports gain clarity, confidence and grow their brands. With this experience in mind, I will highlight WNBA athletes and pair them with suggested brands based on their background and online presence. Whether you are a fan, brand or athlete, get to know the featured athletes below and recognize that athletes are humans First.
Let us know if you think these brands match the athlete and what other athletes we should highlight.
The league was founded by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros on March 3, 2020, and has four women’s professional sports under its umbrella: softball, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. In 2021, it added volleyball and in 2022, it added basketball. The power is in the hands of the players and there are no owners for the teams. Players make decisions both on and off their field of play, which gives the entire league a player-centric ethos. Each league has a player executive committee that meets weekly with Athletes Unlimited staff to work on all aspects of the league, from adding players to the roster to establishing the rules and scoring system.
Players in all sports, including basketball, compete under a point system where players and teams are rewarded for individual and team performance. Each week the four highest-ranked players are appointed as captains and redraft teams for the following week’s competition. This not only allows fans to see different matchups each week, but it also allows the players to get a feel for different schemes and teammates. The league has big-name sponsors including Nike, Gatorade, Topps, Caesars, Sportradar and GEICO.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpJhMPNvJXF/
Prominent international and WNBA players play in the league, which does not conflict with their seasons. WNBA stars such as Las Vegas Aces guard Sydney Colson, Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown and Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud bring the heat each week on the court. The WNBA only has 144 roster spots, so leagues such as Athletes Unlimited allow athletes to play domestically and not have to pursue opportunities overseas.
WNBA players playing abroad were put in the international spotlight when WNBA champion and Olympic medalist Brittney Griner was detained in Russia while she was playing overseas. But things are changing for the better and women’s college basketball fans are able to follow the careers of their favorite players past college with easier access thanks to leagues like Athletes Unlimited.
The games are fan and athlete-focused, including free autograph signings at the end of each game along with free swag and custom posters for each week. Dallas is the home for Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball and one ticket allows entry to two games.
Welcome to Bet For The Win’s weekly WNBA column, where we cover everything women’s basketball from highlight plays and signature moments to bad beats and best bets. Be sure to check back here every week for your W fix.
The sample sizes are growing! Last week’s column covered just the opening weekend of the W, which basically served as reactions to one game (maybe two) from each team. A full week later we’ve got more data, more moments, more everything. From the Atlanta Dream’s surprising start to the league’s continued struggles with chartered flights, let’s break down what went on in the W— during the past week.
Indiana Fever rookie Lexie Hull found that out the hard way in Friday’s season-opening game against the Mystics.
Hull had the bright idea of picking up Mystics point guard Natasha Cloud full court. You can’t really blame her here. This is her just trying to play hard while the Mystics are blowing the Fever out. It’s sort of admirable, really.
Turned out to be a big mistake, though. Why? Because Cloud absolutely snatches her ankles with this smooth hesitation.
Somebody help Lexie, indeed. I’ll give her some credit here. The only way to get embarrassed like this is to actually play defense. So good on her for really giving that effort.
But, uh, let’s just say the results here are less than optimal. Sheesh. This is definitely her “welcome to the WNBA” moment. She’ll never forget it.
Unfortunately for her, neither will we. Everyone was shocked by this.
Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery
The Mystics’ point guard is always involved in situations where basketball players are not usually called upon because she is not just a basketball player. She is so much more than that to so many people in the commnuities she loves. She’s always giving back.
She gave a bit more in early September when she partnered with Bleacher Report’s HighlightHER and Zelle to gift $5,000 to New Hope Academy’s girls basketball team — one of the area’s best basketball programs located in Landover, Maryland.
This time, though, the community got a chance to send Cloud love right back.
There’s now a mural of Cloud painted on the back of the school. In the mural Cloud is dashing down the court with her head up and on point. It’s filled with phrases like “Black Lives Matter,” “Be You,” and “Speak Out” — the lessons she tries to teach.
Arielle Chambers, the founder of HighlightHER, called the mural a direct reflection of the deposits Cloud has put in with the community.
“I always say the WNBA is so important for a reason,” Chambers said. “She mentioned to the team, ‘I stood on the shoulders of my OGs, and I want y’all to stand on the shoulders of me,’ and I thought that was incredibly special. You can’t get anywhere without a support system, and she’s able to be that for the community.”
I got a chance to speak with cloud about exactly that — being a support system and how big a moment this was for her. What follows is our conversation.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
For The Win: How do you feel right now? There were so many emotions flowing for so many people as soon as you stepped out.
Natasha Cloud: It really is everything. You go through a bunch of different emotions, when they first told me that they were doing a mural I was like, “Of me?” I do everything out of the genuineness of my heart so, to get something like this, I feel like I’m doing my job and what I’m supposed to do with the platform that God gave me. This is something I’ve dreamed about as a kid, of having this amount of impact in the community that I genuinely love. For my legacy to be here for years to come. This is something I can tell my children and my children can tell their children. So it’s really everything to me.
FTW: Is this vindicating for you? When you think about all of the work you’ve done to make this community a better place?
NC: It’s a hard word to put it on, but I think when you go into this, even my job as a point guard, you know, it’s a thankless job and that you are doing things out of the genuineness of your heart. But then to be recognized on this separate level, it gives you that confidence, that validation that you are doing the right thing. Because I’m not perfect. I’m going to make mistakes along this journey, but having enough impact that people are seeing me, are hearing me. This is a full-360 moment for me that shows that what I’m doing means something to people. And that has more value than any money, any WNBA contract, any championship that I could ever win. Having the impact I could have in my community.
FTW: Obviously, you knew you’d be good at basketball. But this mural is about so much more than that — it’s about being a community leader. Did you ever think that would be what you were known for?
NC: Never. Obviously, making it to the W when that happened I’m like, “OK. Cool.” And then God calls me on something else. And I really… I talk about my purpose a lot and all the rough times and all the storms that build you for your purpose. My purpose wasn’t just to win games and bring a championship to DC — it was to impact and to do what I can and to be a voice for the voiceless.
So to see this, to think about this as a kid? It’s like, no way. There’s no way. Y’all are making stuff up. It’s just another level of… I’m just grateful.
FTW: The things you do here in the city mean a lot to a lot of people, obviously. This is tangible evidence. But I wonder for you to be here for the seven years and leave the impact on this city that you didn’t necessarily grow up in, how does that feel for you?
NC: When you come in as a rookie you’re just trying to get adjusted. It helped me being at Maryland — I felt comfortable. So coming back, I felt comfortable off rip. I felt embraced off rip.
And when I started speaking up people were like, “Hold on, you’re not from here.” But I was never trying to act like I was. I’m here to listen to y’all. I’m here to listen to what you need, and I’m here to utilize my resources and help. And once people started seeing that, it was like, “She’s not only talking that talk, she’s walking it, too.” And so when you can do that and you can have people trust you, that means more than anything.
The fact that a librarian came to me from Hendley Elementary School because three bullets had penetrated her building and no one helped her, she came to me as a last resort. And, for me, that means everything. It’s that trust.
FTW: That story is so powerful. As a native of the area, it perfectly embodies what you’ve meant to folks from here. I mean, you called out the mayor. A city councilman. That’s huge.
NC: Oh, yeah. I’m not shy. Let’s get to the point. My parents did a great job in raising us and, you know, it doesn’t matter if it’s a CEO, a janitor, whatever it may be, you treat everyone with the same respect until they don’t treat you with that respect.
So I just approach everyone with genuine love and care and genuineness and I think that’s what allows people to open up to me.
But I’m also very blunt. I don’t like beating around the bush — let’s just get to the point. Because while we’re tiptoeing around things people are dying out here. And we don’t have time to give and don’t have time to spare.
I also challenge a lot of athletes because I think we think a lot about the repercussions of what could happen when we speak out. And when I called the mayor out I was fully aware of what that could potentially do to my career. I was fully aware of what sitting out the 2020 season could do to my career. But I trusted that God would always give back to me because I was always making decisions out of the genuineness of my heart.
So that always sits in the back of my mind. I’m not going to be scared to speak up because of what could happen. I’m going to do it because I know that something can be done.
FTW: What would be your final message for the team before you today and young women, young people, who see this?
NC: Whatever your dreams are, that they know its attainable simply because they see me. Just like how I knew my dream was attainable because I saw people like Dawn Staley and Lindsey Whalen and Sue Bird. I saw myself in all of them and so I hope I inspire them not only on the court, but moreso, off the court.
Because the ability and the power they have to change their community, I don’t think they realize yet. And so I hope I inspire them to own that power and utilize it.
Converse’s new basketball play has nothing to do with getting buckets.
Washington Mystics point guard Natasha Cloud was coming off a WNBA championship in 2019 when she received her first opportunity to work with Converse, the shoe her 74-year-old father wears to work every single day. She didn’t realize then that this photoshoot would eventually lead to her becoming the first woman to sign a shoe deal with Converse Basketball.
Cloud was a fantastic high school athlete who earned first-team all-county honors in the Philadelphia area as a junior and senior. Cloud, however, was not a highly-ranked recruit. She only narrowly made the cut for the HoopGurlz Recruiting Top 100 Rankings in 2010, earning one of the final five spots on ESPN’s list.
She played one season at Maryland but scored just 2.5 points per game before transferring to St. Joseph’s in Philly. She would go on to win Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. Serving as co-captain, she also helped lead her mid-major squad to the NCAA Tournament.
Cloud, chosen at No. 15 overall in the 2015 WNBA Draft, has since blazed a path on a long and winding road to eventually become one of the leading endorsers for Converse.
Courtesy of Converse
“I still get choked up talking about it. It’s my story. I’ve been an underdog my whole life and I’ve always been that kid that was good but never good enough,” she told For The Win. “But to have a company see your worth and your value and how much you can bring to them, that’s a surreal feeling.”
Cloud, now the all-time leader in assists for the Mystics, was one week away from being able to share word of her endorsement deal with her fans when she saw the horrific footage of George Floyd’s death while in police custody in May 2020. The brutality she watched was unfathomable and it shook her to her core.
The point guard, who won the WNBA’s Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award in 2019 for her efforts to help prevent gun violence, became one of the millions of Americans joining protests for social reform last year.
Cloud took to the streets in her hometown of Philadelphia, demanding justice and equality, and even she admits that the news of her sneaker deal suddenly felt less urgent.
Though nervous about how they might respond, she asked Converse if they could delay the announcement. She said that Converse was not only comfortable with the decision but the company decided to donate $25,000 to the ACLU of Pennsylvania on her behalf in solidarity with her activism.
“It’s everything. As an athlete, you follow your passions and what’s important to you. I was able to be true to myself and who I am and not have to worry about any repercussions because Converse has always supported me,” said Cloud. “So that’s been so instrumental to be in this fight for social reform moving forward.”
(Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Cloud, alongside NBA All-Star guard Bradley Beal, helped lead marches in Washington, D.C. later in the summer of 2020. She continued to be an outspoken advocate for unity and change across her social media channels as well, laser-focused on this movement.
Meanwhile, with COVID-19 still making a devastating and deadly impact across the country as well, the WNBA season was set to begin at a bubble location in Florida on July 25, exactly two months after Floyd was killed.
Cloud’s Mystics would have an opportunity to defend their franchise’s first-ever WNBA title. However, she decided to forego the season to continue to fight on the front lines for social reform.
She was one of a dozen to make the bold decision. Unfortunately, the WNBA only offered to cover the salaries of players who were deemed high-risk of severe coronavirus complications.
This would have been a tough blow for Cloud, who has played international basketball in China as well as in Europe and Australia to make up for some of the disparity between WNBA and NBA players.
June 8 – @T_Cloud4 becomes the first women’s basketball player to sign a shoe deal with Converse.
June 22 – Cloud opts out of the 2020 WNBA season to focus on social justice matters.
June 26 – Cloud announces that Converse is covering her contract for the season. pic.twitter.com/MGf2ycJQK5
The same month Cloud unveiled that she signed with Converse, she learned that they would also pay her yearly salary and recover her lost wages.
“The issues that our community faces are bigger than basketball,” Ron Johnson, general manager of Converse Basketball, explained to For The Win. “Natasha made those sacrifices, coming off a championship run, and that speaks so much to her character and who she is as a person. She is absolutely a trailblazer. We couldn’t be more excited to continue to partner with her and build some amazing stuff in the future. We want to empower the initiatives that she is sponsoring.”
Cloud was told that she was chosen to represent the company due to her actions off the court just as much as her talent on the floor. She felt that they proved with these actions that the sentiment was more than just weightless words.
In return, the 29-year-old basketball star has made it her top priority to use her platform to advocate as a voice for the voiceless.
“When you see all these big brands that are sponsoring and endorsing athletes, it’s not necessarily black females,” she said. “You add on the other layer. I’m bisexual. You add on the other layer. I’m very outspoken, which could be seen as detrimental in a lot of instances to some companies that want to play it safe. But they have allowed me to break barriers and they have broken barriers themselves by just allowing me to be my authentic self.”
This is Natasha Cloud’s story. But her actions speak louder than words.
Converse was one of the first brands to introduce a shoe specifically designed for basketball, launching the Non-Skid in 1917, which was renamed as the Converse All Star in 1919 and then to the Chuck Taylor in 1934.
But their presence in women’s basketball actually predates Cloud by nearly a century. Back in 1924, Converse sponsored the Edmonton Grads, who won the first women’s world title.
In a similar spirit, one of their recent releases in the Breaking Barriers series paid tribute to the 1954-1955 Crispus Attucks High School basketball team. The squad, led by future Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robinson, became the first all-Black team to ever win the Indiana State Basketball Championship.
The shoe, seen below, is a nod to the Chuck 70 and Pro Leather that features the school’s team colors and similar material used on their letterman jackets.
Courtesy of Converse
“We are completely integrated into the fabric of basketball,” Johnson, the Converse executive, added. “We have a very rich history. Not all of our consumers are aware of it.”
When people think of Converse’s legacy with basketball, plenty of folks picture Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points while wearing a pair of Chucks in the 1960s. During that era, per Grailed, Converse controlled “80 percent of the basketball footwear market with 90 percent of professional and collegiate basketball players wearing All-Stars.”
Chuck Taylors were still coveted because it was a staple in the uniform for bands like The Sex Pistols and The Ramones.
Converse, however, slowly started losing their powerful monopoly in basketball. Puma launched the Clyde for Walt Frazier in 1973. Adidas made a huge push and was becoming as popular as Converse during the 1970s as well.
One of Converse’s savvier responses was helping superstar Julius “Dr. J” Erving became a pioneer by having his name on the Converse Pro Leather in 1976.
Endorsers, for decades, became an essential part of Converse’s business plan and extended from Erving in the 1970s all the way to Cloud today. Decisions like this one were also a ginormous step towards the signature shoe landscape that the NBA follows today.
Courtesy of Converse
Converse recently tipped their hat to Dr. J as part of their Birth of Flight collection, which celebrates the 45th anniversary of the NBA’s merger with the ABA. The sneaker, which dropped earlier this year, comes with a removable hook-and-loop Star Chevron patch and a gold-foil Dr. J deboss.
Back then, this also signified a move away from the Chuck Taylor to other shoes like the Pro Leather. Even though no player has worn the canvas Chuck’s on an NBA court since 1980, the brand still found a way to stay relevant throughout the decade.
Not long after Dr. J changed the game, league MVPs Magic Johnson and Larry Bird made waves as well, wearing contrasting colorways of the Converse Weapon shoes during the peak of their rivalry in the mid-1980s.
Their 1986 commercial took a similar approach, featuring Johnson and Bird as well as fellow NBA stars Isiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, Mark Aguirre and Bernard King rapping about the shoes for the iconic campaign.
Converse also maintained a long, visible placement in the Olympics. They sponsored the powerhouse Team USA’s basketball program from 1936 until 1992.
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During the summer of 1992, however, Magic ended his relationship with the company, citing behind-the-times advertising. He insisted that the brand was riding the high of the Chuck Taylor long after they should have.
After that huge blow, a series of mishaps and miscalculations to be more aggressive and less traditional actually started to sink the ship even deeper.
One of the more embarrassing looks was the Converse REACT Juice in the mid-1990s, which was a response to the Nike Air, Reebok Pump and ASICS Gel.
These shoes were popular among NBA players like Larry Johnson (the face of the “Grandmama” campaign for the shoes) and Latrell Sprewell.
But the liquid in the heel and ankle had a design flaw and would occasionally leak, once nearly injuring Chris Webber during practice. Similarly, in Nov. 1995, the Converse RAW Energy sneakers caused multiple delays during a Cavaliers game as referees had to wipe down the court from a spill. RAW Energy and RAW Power shoes were soon recalled from shelves.
Converse was also the mastermind behind the jerseys for the Kentucky Wildcats college basketball team designed to look and (for some bizarre reason) even feel like denim.
Their head coach, Rick Pitino, pushed against his players wearing a material that would weigh them down so dramatically.
Kentucky pivoted, switching to just the denim aesthetic, which the Wildcats infamously wore while en route to winning the 1996 national championship.
Not long after the basketball jorts were met with middling reviews, to put it kindly, Kentucky moved on from their Converse sponsorship and, like so many others in college basketball, switched to Nike.
As they tried to keep their place in the market, they struggled to maintain much of a hold in the endorser space. Most notably, they terminated their association with Sprewell, who was one of their leading spokesmen until he choked his coach during practice in 1997.
Converse still maintained a dominant presence in the lifestyle space, still seen on the feet of rock bands like Nirvana and The Strokes. But Converse’s hold over the world of basketball largely began to fade.
Between February 1997 and October 2000, Converse stock shares reportedly fell from $28 to $0.50. And then by 2001, with debts exceeding $226 million, Converse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
After a series of buyouts and takeovers during its corporate history, yielding Converse ownership in the hands of groups that may not have prioritized it as well as it needed, Converse finally found a parent company that made sense.
Two years after declaring bankruptcy, the company was purchased in 2003 for $305 million and became a subsidiary of Nike. One of their first moves after the revival was signing Dwyane Wade, who endorsed Converse until he switched to Jordan Brand in 2009.
Otherwise, during the early 2000s, the brand worked with a select handful of NBA players including Elton Brand, Lou Williams, Kyle Korver and Udonis Haslem. This was a respectable group, certainly, but they didn’t exactly move the needle.
Then by 2012, they took a hiatus from making performance basketball sneakers altogether.
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Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Within the last few years, over a century after Converse’s debut in the basketball world, the company re-entered the basketball space, introducing the All Star Pro BB in 2019.
By the end of that year, the same company that Nike acquired for $305 million in 2003 had reached $1.9 billion in revenue.
They have since secured endorsements from Cloud in the WNBA, three-time NBA champion Draymond Green, his eccentric Golden State Warriors teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. and Oklahoma City Thunder rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Green, who was signed to Nike during his first several years in the league, said the marriage between the brands made this decision a no-brainer.
“It was a very, very easy transition for me,” Green told For The Win. “The Nike react technology is in my shoes that I wear. I’ve already worn the next shoe and it is similar technology to all the Nike sneakers. The shoe has performed well. It’s a very comfortable shoe. They’ve really been holding up well for me since last season.”
Courtesy of Converse
Converse has developed its own CX technology with stretch canvas for performance. But they also have access to all of the Nike innovations, borrowing from Nike Zoom and Nike Air.
They have also collected tons of invaluable experience, knowledge and wear testing data due to their relationship with the industry leader. So when the shoe is actually on the foot of players like Green and Cloud, it feels familiar to the Nike sneakers that they have worn for so many years.
“I tell people that they have the same feel as Kobe’s,” Cloud explained. “They’re lightweight. I can make hard cuts in them. Quick cuts. They protect my ankles.”
Additionally, there is some overlap in personnel between the companies as well. Both Green and Cloud credited longtime Nike executive Adrian Stelly’s switch to Converse as one of the reasons why they felt comfortable signing on.
Cloud also liked that Converse feels very “urban” and Green agreed, noting Converse has a “blue-collar” vibe. That’s one of the reasons why, in Sept. 2020, Green donated more than 500 pairs of sneakers to children in his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan.
Courtesy of Converse
“Signing with Converse, that was a big deal for me, because you never forget those times of not wanting to walk too hard because you want them to stay looking new as long as you possibly can,” said Green. “It was a good feeling to be able to help in that area to parents that were much like my mom when I was growing up.”
Charitable actions from Green made him an ideal partner for the brand. But they have also long been infatuated with the fact that he is someone who is unabashedly, unapologetically himself.
Green is outspoken, often providing bold quotes and fascinating insight into his perspective. Those are exactly the kind of traits that Converse has sought in their athletes.
“We want people with amazing creativity and individuality and who express that on and off the court, including everything that they do to further and uplift their community,” said Johnson. “We are the brand that celebrates individuality and self-expression and they are the people and the muses for such. It’s the perfect marriage.”
Courtesy of Converse
That sort of self-expression led them to someone like Gilgeous-Alexander, who Bleacher Report named as the “best-dressed player” in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard is widely considered one of the more fashion-forward individuals in the league. He was even crowned “NBA Quarantine Fits Champ” by GQ.
Considering how seriously he takes his apparel, Gilgeous-Alexander’s interest in endorsing Converse speaks volumes about the positive direction that the brand is headed as a respected brand.
Oubre, meanwhile, launched his own apparel brand, Dope Soul, and even walked the runway while wearing Converse shoes during Paris Fashion Week in 2019.
Green, who worked with Converse to get the height of where the shoe comes up to on his ankle to get his preferred size, admits that he does not possess as much creative drive as someone like Oubre.
But he has also enjoyed finding little ways to make his shoes reflect his story.
“The most fun that I’ve had with it was adding my children’s names to my shoe and then also doing a shoe that I will wear on the floor at the same time my kids will wear them in the crowd. Our colorways will match,” he said. “I put a bunch of different designs together. I designed a few to pay homage to Michigan State and Saginaw High School and one to the city of Oakland.”
Converse has a fairly small client list and they do not have grander ambitions of dethroning Nike and Adidas as the most coveted basketball shoe on the market. Instead, they re-enter the space as a more niche product.
For signs of what is to come next, Johnson wouldn’t spoil any company secrets. But he did seem to emphasize the customizable nature of the product, especially when it comes to what the endorsers will be able to do with the sneaker itself.
With that in mind, we can look at Oubre’s “Soul Collection” for a clue how the player edition sneakers will look for Cloud and Green as it relates to their own creativity and individuality.
Customization has been a huge part of Converse’s brand off the court in recent years, launching collaborations with the likes of designers like Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons PLAY, Tyler The Creator’s Golf le Fleur, Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God and countless other lines like Brain Dead, Wacko Maria and Stussy.
It’s only natural that the same customization will extend to the players on the hardwood.
“We’re going to do it with a new and different basketball model,” said Johnson. “The traditional signature shoe isn’t necessarily part of our strategy right now. The ways that we connect with our consumers are going to be different. I’m smiling while I’m telling you this because I want to give it all away.”
Off the floor, meanwhile, Cloud is determined to continue her work with Converse to give back to people in need. It is a fundamental element of what made Converse want to work with her in the first place.
She knows the power of representation and that her position with the company can potentially help other young black women realize that they can eventually walk in the same shoes as her.
“I’m excited to continue our work not only on the court but more importantly, off the court in our community, continuing to fight this fight for social reform and have them have my back and continue to break barriers and to break systems that were set up to oppress in this country.”
Previewing Saturday’s Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics match up, with WNBA betting odds, picks and best bets.
The Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics get their WNBA regular season underway Saturday at 5 p.m. ET at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., in the league’s bubble site, or “Wubble” – which the players have been calling it. We analyze the Fever-Mystics WNBA betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.
The Mystics embark on defense of their crown, and the WNBA champs can partially thank the Fever for their recent success. Winning the Eastern Conference by three games last season, Washington can point to its 3-0 straight-up record vs. Indiana, while going 1-1-1 against the spread (ATS) in those contests.
Fever vs. Mystics: By the Numbers
Since the start of the 2017 WNBA regular season the Mystics have rattled off 10 consecutive victories over the Fever, going 6-3-1 ATS. The average margin of victory in last season’s three-game regular season sweep was 19.7 points per game, even with one battle decided in overtime.
Seven of the past eight in this series have ended up going Over, and Washington has scored 82 or more points in seven of those outings. The Mystics averaged a gaudy 97.7 PPG in the three meetings in 2019.
The Mystics (+250) are listed as the favorites to repeat as WNBA champions. The Fever (+4000) are long shots to win it all – only the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings (+6600 each) have longer odds.
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Fever vs. Mystics: Key injuries
Fever
F Lauren Cox is out. She arrived Thursday evening to the bubble, and players have to quarantine in their rooms for four days after arrival.
Mystics
F Tina Charles was deemed a high-risk individual by the league’s independent doctors and received a medical waiver, opting out for the season.
C Elena Delle Donne, the 2019 MVP, has been battling the after-effects of Lyme disease for several years and did not receive a medical waiver, but she is not expected to play.
F LaToya Sanders also elected to opt out due to health reasons.
G Natasha Cloud elected to skip the 2020 season, focusing on social justice instead.
Fever vs. Mystics: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 10:35 a.m. ET.
The MYSTICS (-133) are missing some of their big guns, but they’ll still have enough to upend the Fever (+110) in the opener. The defending champs aren’t losing this one.
The spread is -1.5 for WASHINGTON (-110). Perhaps this one is close at halftime and into the third quarter, but look for the Mystics to pull away from Indiana (+1.5, -110) late.
The OVER 162.5 (-120) has hit in each of the three meetings last season, and seven of the past eight in this series. Even without Charles, Cloud and Delle Donne on the floor, the Mystics have a powerful offense. They won’t erupt for the 97.7 PPG they averaged in three games against the Fever last season, but Washington will do enough for the win and an Over result.
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