Elena Delle Donne honors Sheryl Swoopes with a player exclusive Nike React Hyperdunk 2017
It has been 22 years since Sheryl Swoopes became the first women’s basketball player to have a Nike shoe named after her. The Air Swoopes became an iconic shoe prized by basketball fans and die-hard sneaker collectors. Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne pays tribute to Swoopes and the legend’s groundbreaking sneaker with a personal edition (PE) Nike React Hyperdunk 2017.
“This shoe is truly inspired by my favorite basketball player of all time, Sheryl Swoopes,” said Delle Donne. “There are a lot of pieces in the shoe that represent the Swoopes 1. If you look at the inside pattern of this Hyperdunk, it has the same pattern as on the Swoopes 1. My favorite part is the tab on the back of the heel, which was a signature element of the shoe.”
Delle Donne’s love of furniture making and design inspired the PE.
“It’s all a part of art and making things that are inspirational,” said Delle Donne about creating the PE design. “Working in the woodshop definitely helped me develop my eye for different colors and materials.”
The shoe’s design details according to Nike:
- Color blocking that mimics the Nike Air Swoopes from 1996.
- The angel wing tattoo rendition on the inside tongue as a tribute to her sister, Lizzie, which you can not only see but also feel — Lizzie is blind and deaf.
- Heel tabs feature “1” on the left and “1” on the right portraying Delle Donne’s uniform number in a similar fashion to the heel tabs on the Air Swoopes.
- Outsoles read “Demand” and “Excellence.”
Delle Donne debuted the PE this weekend. It will be available in retail markets November 4.
