Diana Taurasi on Nike, WNBA Sneaker Lines, and Managing Eczema

For almost a quarter-century, Diana Taurasi dazzled basketball fans. Starting with her standout collegiate career with the UConn Huskies to her two decades with the Phoenix Mercury, all we saw were highlight plays, championships, and incredible sneakers.

What many of us did not see was Taurasi's daily battle against moderate-to-severe eczema. Luckily, she has partnered with Sanofi and Regeneron — the makers of Dupixent — and seen amazing results. Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI spoke with Taurasi about her eczema, the WNBA, and her signature Nike sneaker line.

How important is it for you to use your platform to speak on living with eczema?

Yeah, it's been a lifelong battle with moderate-to-severe eczema. This partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron has really changed the way I confront eczema every single day, with Dupixent in my particular story.

The way it's really impacted every single day of my life with eczema has just been remarkable. Millions of Americans have eczema. It's something that people have to live with every single day, and with Dupixent, it has really just changed my outlook on eczema. It's changed my daily life in such a positive way.

“Make enough noise so that the silence you leave is even louder.”

Nike celebrates Diana Taurasi’s 20-year WNBA career 👏 pic.twitter.com/ccjGEYP3vb
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 26, 2025

Your condition is moderate-to-severe. How has it been to partner with Sanofi and Regeneron (the makers of Dupixent)?

Yeah, the partnership's amazing. There's nothing being aligned in an authentic way. Not only a point of view, but a treatment that has really changed my life. We're aligned on our views and on how eczema affects Americans, including young Americans. I think that's been the biggest outbreak, and the biggest change is that, at a young age, you can take steps to help yourself with eczema, and it's certainly been an amazing partnership.

If you could offer advice to athletes or fans battling eczema, what would it be?

Everyone's story and path are different. You can go to ShowUpAD.com and find different stories. But I think when you become very conscious of having eczema, there is help, and if you go to your doctor and your medical practitioner, they'll give you more information on Dupixent and all the benefits of it.

Nike is releasing a new LeBron 18 next week celebrating Diana Taurasi, dubbed “GOAT Vision” and featuring her career achievements.

Insoles have a 🏀 & 🐐 hybrid logo. pic.twitter.com/ikUH43xuCe
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) August 19, 2021

Switching gears to footwear, how do you feel about the giant strides WNBA players are making in the sneaker industry?

Yeah, it's amazing. Everything comes in waves, and there's momentum, and movements, and to see Nike in particular, who I've been with for 25 years now, make a splash with signature shoes and PEs. It's a whole side of the market that people forget.

Millions of girls and women play basketball every single day, and I think we should be able to really support the amazing athletes that wear those shoes, and sacrifice their whole lives would be the best basketball players in the world, and I think it's definitely a great time for sneaker heads in women's sports.

Two-time Nike signature sneaker athlete Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from the WNBA 👏 pic.twitter.com/AzP4TopZUy
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 25, 2025

Looking back at your signature Nike line, how do you feel it has aged in retrospect?

Yeah, the Air Max Taurasi was one of my favorite shoes. Obviously, the full airbag was something that I loved. The 96 Uptempo is my favorite shoe of all time. So anytime I could have a full airbag, to me, was amazing, and you see that Air and Zoom technology, which a lot of shoes have now.

The DT Shox was a new technology that, once again, the Shox were out now, so they come, they come full circle. Still, it was just super interesting to be in the process of making the logos, and seeing the fit, and the different technologies at the time at Nike, and being on campus, and seeing a shoe really come together. So, a super amazing experience, and you never know, they might be coming back.

If Nike decided to release a retro Air Max Taurasi or Nike Shox DT, what colorway would you want? Maybe a PE?

A PE would be amazing. I think a lot of times when you think about the colors, it's kind of where you're at in your life. When I've done some custom PEs with LeBrons, I did a coffee in the morning, and wine by night. There was the landscapes out here in the desert. So, it would be interesting to see what colorway would come out.

Circa ‘06 with it. Diana Taurasi’s Nike Shox DT returned from the archives last night in NYC. pic.twitter.com/ZKudAwtJ3k
— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) October 22, 2024

What shoes are you wearing off the court these days?

I love my Jordan 1s, and I enjoy anything by Travis Scott. I work out a lot. I do a lot of the hard training, though, so maybe the Nike Metcons. I feel like the new Vomeros are just the ultimate comfort shoe. And I love my all-white Nike Air Force 1s. I'm old school when it comes to that. I have like 20 pairs, and they're nice and white with no creases. So, I'll stick with the classics.

Last question: If you were in a Space Jam game defending Earth, what shoes would you wear?

Oh, I would be in my 96 Uptempos: white, black, with teal outlines.

Add us as a preferred source on Google