The signature sneaker is the ultimate status symbol in the world of professional basketball. Having a shoe line with your name on it from one of the major brands is reserved, typically, for the biggest names in the sport. That said, the space has gotten a bit crowded, as the race to sign young talent has meant companies are giving out more signature sneakers, placing bets on young hopeful stars to emerge as household names.
Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t, but with some of the biggest names in the sport getting older and headed towards legacy sneaker status like the Jordan and Kobe lines — LeBron, KD, Curry, etc. — I don’t think we’ll see brands slowing down in terms of giving out sneakers. There are already a handful of shoes announced for this upcoming season, with De’Aaron Fox getting his first shoe with Curry Brand and A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark signatures on the way from Nike. They won’t be alone, though, as the next generation of NBA and WNBA stars commanding their own sneaker line is either already in the league or on its way.
Here, we take a look at nine players who figure to be in the conversation for their own sneaker, whether with the brand they currently represent or someone else whenever their deal is up.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Converse)
SGA’s new deal with Converse includes a signature sneaker, we just don’t know exactly when it’s coming in 2025 — perhaps it will arrive midseason, but it also could be for the 2025-26 campaign. His rise from intriguing young player to a legit MVP threat meant it was only a matter of time before he got his own shoe. He is also one of the leading NBA players in the fashion space, so he figures to create a unique sneaker that will be welcome in a world where we see an awful lot of copycat looks in hoops shoes.
Victor Wembanyama (Nike)
The next NBA superstar is a no-doubter to get a shoe from Nike. The question is just what it looks like and when it arrives. Nike created some truly wild footwear prototypes ahead of the Olympics, including one for Wemby, but I have a hard time believing they’ll go fully in that direction for his first shoe. That said, they should steer into him being one of the most unique players in NBA history to give him a shoe to match, and if nothing else he has one of the best logos in the NBA already. Big men don’t typically sell tons of sneakers, but Wemby is such a unique player I think whatever shoe they release for him will do numbers.
Paige Bueckers (Nike)
Bueckers is already getting her own PEs for her senior year at UConn, and a signature shoe may be on the horizon. What’s interesting for Nike is they’ve already committed to making signature sneakers for Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson, and one wonders how many signatures they’re willing to make in the women’s space. Other brands like adidas and Under Armour/Curry Brand are aggressively pursuing women’s hoops stars to be the face of a sneaker line, and will be chasing Bueckers and others hard if Nike balks on offering a signature shoe initially.
Cooper Flagg (New Balance)
The expected No. 1 pick in 2025 has all the tools to be a massive star and command his own sneaker. He also opted to sign with New Balance despite going to a Nike school in Duke, which provides a much clearer pathway to a signature shoe as he won’t be stuck behind a long list of other stars. New Balance, at this point, only has a Kawhi Leonard signature. Flagg certainly figures to fit the bill for a second, even if it’s become increasingly rare for brands to give out signatures to rookies upon entering the league.
Joel Embiid (Skechers)
I can’t imagine Skechers signed Embiid just to have him be the face of their regular basketball line. That said, his first signature sneaker with Under Armour wasn’t exactly a huge hit on the market and he faces the uphill battle that all traditional centers do in selling sneakers to the general public. Few have cracked the code on how to do that, and it’ll be interesting to see if Skechers can figure out how to create a shoe that stands up to the physical demands of Embiid while being something the public wants to wear.
Paolo Banchero (Jordan)
Already an All-Star in Year 2, I think he has a chance to be a huge star, and if the Magic continue their ascent in the East, his next shoe deal might include his own line. The question is whether he can get that with Jordan or if he’d need to look elsewhere, as Jordan Brand already has three young stars — Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, and Zion Williamson — with their own sneaker lines.
Tyrese Maxey (New Balance)
The Sixers young star guard keeps getting better and, like Banchero, another leap might put him in line for his own sneaker. As noted, New Balance currently just has the Kawhi line and even if there’s a Flagg line on the way, that would still leave room to give Maxey a shoe made for a guard.
Angel Reese (Reebok)
She’s already designed her own line of lifestyle apparel, and helped Reebok debut their first performance shoe. A signature is the next step as Reebok has clearly embraced the Chicago Sky star as the face of their women’s line. After a record-setting rookie season, Reese is in prime position to continue building her brand on and off the court and helping Reebok burst back on the scene in the hoops space.
Juju Watkins (Nike)
Watkins is still a few years away from being in the W, but she projects as a mega-star at the next level. I think she’s a no-brainer for a signature sneaker when she makes the leap to the WNBA, but the real question is who that’s with. Currently she is a Nike athlete, but as mentioned earlier, if Nike were to give Bueckers a signature shoe, it’s not a guarantee they’d want to hand out a fourth women’s signature. I could see adidas, now led by Candace Parker, New Balance, and Curry Brand both making big runs at Watkins — as they did for Caitlin Clark — in each of those brand’s quest for a face of their women’s division.
