Sky's Angel Reese Chasing Michael Jordan's Shoe Game

With Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese aiming to drop her first signature shoe, she wants to follow Michael Jordan's blueprint.

Michael Jordan listens to the speakers outside of The Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic led by Novant Health. Before taking part in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new clinic opening off of Greenfield Street Tuesday May 7, 2024 in Wilmington, N.C. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming out with a signature shoe is the norm for all big-name ball players. None, however, took it to the heights that Michael Jordan did. Now, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese will hope to match that success.

During his playing days, Jordan’s sneakers were incredibly popular. But that's the case with most players. Once they walk away from their respective sport, though, their sneakers collect dust on the shelves. 

Yet, despite hanging up his jersey over two decades ago, Jordan’s kicks are more popular than ever. 

Weddings, office jobs, working out at the gym. The occasion never mattered; Jordan’s were spotted everywhere. 

Reese has now officially entered the mix. Her signature shoe, The Angel Reese 1, will be dropping on September 18th in various colors. 

Without question, Reese hopes that her kicks sell out in two seconds. But more importantly, she doesn’t want her sneakers to follow the same blueprint as some of her predecessors. Instead, she’s looking to follow in the same footsteps as one person and one person alone. 

“Just like how they wear Jordans everywhere, I want people to wear the Angel Reese 1s everywhere and just to be a household name,” Reese told Kayla Webley Adler. 

A signed Michael Jordan jersey hangs along with a collection of sports memorabilia. / Cody Scanlan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reese is ambitious, but she has a lot of catching up to do. 

So we know that Jordans are incredibly successful, but in order to figure out how successful, we had to dig deep into some research. 

In roughly 2022, 60 million pairs of Jordans were produced. When it comes to Nike, you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger brand. From 2016-2023, Jordans represented approximately 12.2% of Nike's global revenue. 

Let’s dig a bit deeper. 

In 1985, when Jordan’s sneaker line made its debut, four million pairs were sold. Don't worry about doing the math, we’ve got you covered. By the time 2022 came around, manufacturing for Jordan’s had increased by 1400%. 

Reese is just getting her feet wet in the sneaker game, but when it comes to her branding, she’s off to a strong start. The Chicago Sky have been awful in her two years there, but individually, she’s been on point. Reese has been selected to two All-Star games, was the Rookie of the Year runner-up, and when it comes to her popularity, the social media numbers tell us that she’s the best of the best. 

Time will tell whether or not Reese can catch Jordan with her sneaker line, but even if she doesn’t, financial gain isn’t her only goal. The way she sees it, she wants everyone who throws on a pair of her sneakers to feel like they can do every and anything they put their mind to.  

“To have no limits on what I can do and what I can accomplish.”

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