Nike’s Jordan Brand and the WNBA have forged a historical partnership that’s breaking barriers for women athletes.
This week, Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand announced their new “WNBA Family” campaign endorsed by 11 emerging WNBA players, marking this as the most players in the women league’s history to cosign the brand at once, USA Today reports.
According to an announcement from Nike, the brand confirmed its commitment to amplifying the work and voices of women in the league following an April photoshoot — in partnership with Ming Smith and Nicola Vassell Gallery — that captured the brand’s active WNBA athletes (Jordin Canada, Te’a Cooper, Crystal Dangerfield, Chelsea Dungee, Arella Guirantes, Dearica Hamby, Kia Nurse, Aerial Powers and Satou Sabally) alongside Jordan.
The history-making gathering was held to celebrate the Jordan Brand’s largest women roster ever and marked its investment in the game’s emerging stars who have the power to shape the future of basketball culture.
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“The world needs female voices, and we can’t ignore that or else we’re not growing,” Jordan says in a statement. “The Jordan Brand is committed to giving women a platform to amplify their voices, which influence, inspire and push culture forward. These amazing athletes are defining a lot of things about Jordan Brand and leading a true conversation that’s impacting culture and our communities across the globe.”
Other brands are also beginning to invest more time, money and attention into women athletes than we’ve ever seen before. The significance of the WNBA Family campaign represents more than just women, it signifies a cultural moment for Black women as well. As we witness this turning point for women in sports, it’s also important to note what moments like this mean for the next generation of professional players.
“Representation really matters at this point in time,” Seattle Storm star Jordin Canada says in a statement. “To have 11 Black women be a part of this brand allows the younger generation and younger women to see that they can be like us — they can have that opportunity. I didn’t see that growing up.”
News of the Jordan Brand’s latest campaign comes on the heels of its longstanding commitment to continue championing Black community initiatives. As previously reported by AfroTech, the brand most recently announced another slate of multi million-dollar pledges to support Black excellence.
For more information on the Jordan Brand’s WNBA family, click here.
