New Nike, Oregon Ducks Collaboration Demonstrates Continued Trend

With the No. 8 seeded Oregon Ducks Women's Basketball team being the sole representation for the Ducks in March Madness, Oregon is making noise around both the men's and women's courts for their recent shoe releases.

Unveiled on March 16, just in time for the start of March Madness, the Air Jordan 10 Oregon "Shoe Duck" PE features the sleek, futuristic design Oregon is known for as well as a prominently featuring a signature from Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Not only is this sneaker release an exciting addition to the Ducks lineup of swag, it's also a hallmark of how the Ducks communicate their national brand.

A photo of the Air Jordan 10 Oregon "Shoe Duck" PE | @GoDucks on Instagram

Continuing the Design Story

Duck fans with an eye on design may remember in October of the 2025 season that the Ducks wore a grey, marble, and gold uniform against the Oregon State Beavers chock full of references to Knight and his fellow Nike co-founder and former track coach Bill Bowerman. Also dubbed the "Shoe Duck," this uniform continued storytelling with outgoing Duck linebacker and Eugene native Bryce Boettcher helping celebrate a continued reach to Oregon's history.

With each Oregon Ducks football uniform taking on average 18 months to create, coordinating cohesive looks across several sports is no small undertaking. By continuing the design language and themes from football's "Shoe Duck" uniform, there's a sense of unity and branding for the Oregon athletic department as a whole that continues to push the Ducks' national brand.

Oregon Ducks unveil their Air Jordan 10 “Oregon” PE 🦆 pic.twitter.com/LWgrT260al
— JustFreshKicks (@JustFreshKicks) March 17, 2026

“It is a long process, and it’s a process that includes a lot of twists and turns and ultimately it's a collaboration," said Van Horne Designs senior designer Quinn Van Horne when explaining the uniform making process after the release of the "Heroes" uniform. "Every single person along the process from being able to come up with the initial idea, Rob Mullens was a huge piece of that, creating the designs and corresponding with Nike, which we really did for months, and then it becomes meeting with the players, meeting with the coaches..."

That same process is similar to the creation of Oregon uniform and sneaker collaborations, with student athlete input guiding those that draft up Oregon's uniform ideas like Van Horne Designs.

Grateful Ducks

Another instance of Oregon football and basketball sharing a uniform concept this year is the "Grateful Ducks" tribute to the popular rock band, the Grateful Dead, and their deep roots in the Eugene, Oregon community. Both programs got their own merchandise releases for fans as well as the on-field and on-court looks.

"More Grateful vibes will emanate from Oregon Athletics events this year, after the "Grateful Ducks" football game in October was a smash hit," the university said in a press release about Oregon men's and women's basketball hosting their own "Grateful Duck" games.

The Duck Store’s John Chambers shows off some of the new apparel featuring the Grateful Dead, er Duck, on sale now. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Branding Means More Future Collaborations

With the success of specifically the "Grateful Ducks" collection, there's a clear path for the athletic department to continue sharing uniform and merchandise theme ideas between football and basketball.

Tie dye baseball jerseys, anyone?