WNBA star Courtney Williams signs with Moolah Kicks shoe brand

The GIST: A buzzy basketball shoe brand just scored its latest ambassador. Moolah Kicks booked the Connecticut Sun’s Courtney Williams yesterday to promote its goods, demonstrating the footwear company’s growing presence in the women’s basketball space.

The company: Launched in 2020, Moolah Kicks only designs basketball shoes for women. The brand hopes to become “the Speedo of women’s hoops” and counts the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban as an investor. Moolah Kicks also received support from Dick’s Sporting Goods’ new in-house venture fund this month.

The details: Williams will rock the new Neovolt Pro shoe during the 2023 WNBA season, while also promoting Moolah Kicks through social media, brand appearances and fan activations. The partnership materialized after Williams met Moolah Kicks founder Natalie White during the footwear brand’s partnership with the Sun earlier this year.

• Moolah Kicks is quickly amassing a roster of talented women hoopers. It inked its first-ever brand ambassadors just last month, signing deals with the Indiana Fever’s Destanni Henderson and UConn standout Caroline Ducharme.

Zooming out: The company is making headway on its ambitious goal to dethrone Nike as the shoe of choice for women’s basketball’s best. A whopping 69.5% of sneakers worn on WNBA courts in 2022 were designed by Nike, and the top five were made in collaboration with NBA stars.

• Moolah Kicks’ main differentiator? Its singular focus on women, a potential growth avenue that competitors have only recently begun to dabble in. Smells like opportunity to us.