{"id":227969,"date":"2012-08-07T23:18:19","date_gmt":"2012-08-08T04:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=227969"},"modified":"2022-09-12T18:36:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T23:36:12","slug":"olympic-diaries-2004-sheryl-swoopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/olympic-diaries-2004-sheryl-swoopes\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic Diaries (2004): Sheryl Swoopes Explains Origin & Crossover Success of Nike Air Swoopes Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sheryl Swoopes<\/strong> can ball with the best of them – men and women – and undoubtedly hold her own.<\/p>\n

Referred to as the “female Michael Jordan” throughout her career, Swoopes broke women’s basketball barriers by becoming the first woman ever drafted to the WNBA and ultimately becoming a three-time Olympic gold medalists. Yet, one extremely important achievement people tend to forget about is her inking a deal with Nike – this is not just any deal we’re talking about. Swoopes became the first woman to receive a signature line with Nike<\/strong>, let alone any sneaker brand.<\/p>\n

As the 2004 installment of our Olympic Diaries<\/em> series, Sheryl Swoopes details the origin and design process of the Nike Air Swoopes line, its acceptance from both genders, memorable Olympic moments and what it meant for her to become the first woman with a signature shoe.<\/p>\n

**Update**<\/strong> The “Swoopes” #NineforIX premieres tonight on ESPN. Revisit our interview with Sheryl Swoopes before you tune in tonight. <\/p>\n Sheryl Swoopes wearing the Nike Air Flight One in an Olympic shot\n

Snkrs Day: So, I heard Nike approached a bank teller instead of a basketball player when they came to you with a contract. Is that correct?
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Sheryl Swoopes: [Laughs] After we won the national championship at Texas Tech in ’93, I left the U.S. to go play in Italy. At the time, I was young and had never been anywhere, so I got homesick after being in Italy for a little bit. Being overseas was not for me at the time. I still had a semester of school left, so I went back to Lubbock to finish out school. I had to make money some kind of way while doing that, so I went to work for a bank. I kind of felt like God put me in the right place at the right time with that move because, once I came back to Texas, that was around the same time USA basketball was in the midst of putting the ’96 Olympic Basketball team together. It gave me the opportunity to play without going overseas, and the rest is history. The bank gave me the opportunity to finish school, so that I could make a living. I was approached by Nike around that time, and we got together and finalized a contract.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: What was your initial reaction to becoming the first woman with a signature sneaker?
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<\/strong>Sheryl Swoopes: Obviously, I was honored when they first approached me with the idea of developing a signature basketball shoe for me. For me to be the first female basketball player to have my own signature shoe was, and still is, crazy. Every child probably dreams of having a shoe named after them, or that might be something you don’t dream about because you don’t think it’s going to happen to you. So, for that to happen, I was just overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: With your signature line being new to all parties involved, how hands-on were you in the development of your line throughout the years, especially the first one?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheryl Swoopes: I was very involved in the design of each and every one of my shoes, and I had say-so in all of them; but if I had to pick one that I had the most involvement in, it would have to be my first one.?I say that one because we did the most with it. We had to get the mold of my foot, and I spent a lot of time in Oregon with the designers during that process. Even when I wasn’t in Oregon, they called me every step of the way in the design process and sent me a ton of prototypes. We talked about what I looked for in a shoe, what was important to me in a shoe, and everything else in regards to the feel, the look, the color and the support. All of those things were very important to me. So yeah, I was very involved in the design process of the very first shoe they did for me from the beginning to the end. It wasn’t as much involvement after the first one because, by then, they knew what I liked and how I wanted it moving forward. They basically continued to incorporate all those things in my other shoes.<\/p>\n Nike Air Swoopes\n

Snkrs Day: So, was that the shoe you enjoyed playing in the most?
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Sheryl Swoopes: It would have to be my first shoe only because it was the beginning. It was scary because I didn’t know what the response and reaction was going to be to it, so of course the first one will always be special to me. But as the shoe line went on, I looked at the first one like, ‘Oh, my gosh. We could’ve done much better.’ That one is always going to be special to me though, but as far as the look, the comfort and the design, it would have to be the Nike Zoom Air Swoopes – the one that had the claw design on the outside of it. That was the third shoe in my line. I loved the color schemes it came in, and I remember there being a few patent leather makeups of it – black patent, red patent, white patent and white\/red patent. That shoe was really nice.<\/p>\n Nike Air Zoom Swoopes\n

<\/p>\n Some of Sheryl Swoopes’ game-worn signatures and favorites\n

Snkrs Day: That’s the shoe in your line that guys gravitated to as well. How were you and the designers able to come up with a shoe that appealed to both genders?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheryl Swoopes: Growing up, I always played in guy’s shoes, so I was so excited about actually having an input in the design of my shoe. All throughout my childhood and college, I wore guy’s shoes. I’m probably going to tell my age, but I played in PONYs when I was in junior college. One thing I never liked about having to wear guy’s shoes is that they were very heavy and bulky. Plus, you could always tell that it was a man’s shoe. Even though I’m being competitive, playing basketball and going out there to try and get the job done, I still want to look cute from my head to my toes, but, at the same time, I didn’t want it to look, for the lack of a better word, girly. So, to be able to have an input in my shoes, in regards to the look, the feel, the style, the color and comfort level, was important to me. Most people think, with girls, you’re going to get your pinks, your yellows, your fuchsias and those types of colors, but I wanted it to be a woman’s shoe that looked tough. I didn’t know guys would like it, let alone want to wear it, but, over the years, I heard from quite a few guys that I played with or worked out with, that they really liked my shoes. They told me they liked the look of it and the feel of it because it wasn’t a heavy shoe at all. It was really light. It made me feel good when I heard that guys really liked the shoe and actually played in it. I felt like I, having a say in the design process, accomplished what I wanted to with it.<\/p>\n Nike Air Tuned Swoopes\n

Snkrs Day: You mentioned that you played in men’s shoes growing up. Are there any particular models that stand out?
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Sheryl Swoopes: Well, it’s not a big secret that I’ve always been a huge Michael Jordan fan. So, any Jordan basketball shoe I found, I would at least put it on and tried it. Yet, some of those Jordan shoes were a little too heavy for me, so I didn’t play in them a lot. I walked around in them, and I wore them to the gym, but I never played in them. My favorite shoe that I ever wore was the Nike Air Force Max CB, Charles Barkley’s first signature shoe. That shoe was extremely comfortable, and it was very, very supportive. I loved playing in that shoe. Throughout my career, I’ve always had to get my ankles taped, wear two pairs of socks on each foot and wear ankle braces, but with that shoe, I felt like it gave me more ankle support, so I didn’t have to wear as much. I could either get taped and not wear the ankle braces or wear the ankles braces and not get taped. I was very comfortable and confident in that shoe.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: Speaking of Michael Jordan, you’ve been frequently referred to as the “female Jordan” throughout your career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheryl Swoopes: He’s always been my role model and my idol. I’ve always admired his skills, his talent and his ability on the floor. He always seemed to be head and shoulders above his competition, and he always rose to the challenge. That’s what made me admire him as an athlete. The first time I met him was in ’94 after we won the national championship. I worked a summer basketball camp for him, and I remember a lot of people referring to me as the “female Michael Jordan.” First of all, I would never compare myself to a player as great as a Michael Jordan. I don’t think there will ever be another Michael Jordan, and that’s just how I feel about Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is phenomenal and LeBron James is great, but there will never be another Michael Jordan. When I got the opportunity to meet him, I was speechless, wide-eyed and slurring my words. Like, what do you say to Michael Jordan? I was at his camp with about 500 other kids there, and, out of nowhere, he called my name out. He said, ‘Where is Sheryl Swoopes?’ It totally shocked me because I didn’t know Michael Jordan knew my name. We actually played a game of 1-on-1. Of course, he won, but I held my own. It was a great time for me.<\/p>\n Sheryl Swoopes and Michael Jordan\n

<\/p>\n Sheryl Swoopes wearing the Nike Air Flight One during an Olympic Basketball photo shoot\n

Snkrs Day: You were a part of three Olympic Basketball teams in your career. You’re our 2004 installment of the Olympic Diaries series, but which year was most important to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheryl Swoopes: I think anytime you accomplish something for the first time in your career, it’s going to be the more special than the others simply because it’s the first time or first one. So, of all the ones I participated in, from Atlanta to Australia to Greece, I’d probably have to say the 1996 Games in Atlanta. My family and friends were there to help me and enjoy that moment with me. Also, it being here in America was just special. To play in your own country on the biggest stage ever as one of the youngest players on that team, was just awesome. Growing up, I never had the opportunity of watching women play basketball except for the Olympics, and it really wasn’t on TV like it is now. As a child, playing in the Olympics was my ultimate goal. I didn’t necessarily think it would be basketball, but I just knew I was going to get to the Olympics someway, somehow. So, the first one was definitely more special to me, but all of them were great, and they all meant something different. I would take that ’96 team we had, and put it up against any team today and believe that we would win.<\/p>\n Nike Air Swoopes “Olympic”\n

Snkrs Day: Is that ’96 team sort of like the women’s equivalent to the men’s 1992 Dream Team in your eyes?
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Sheryl Swoopes: Absolutely. We’ve always been head and shoulders ahead of our competition. Is the world catching up to us? Absolutely, but I still don’t think anybody in the world can beat USA basketball. Other countries would have to play a near-perfect game, and USA would have to play the worst game ever. I don’t see that happening. What made that ’96 team so special is the time we spent together. There was no WNBA at the time, so we were together for an entire year training in Colorado. We also went on a European tour and a college tour. Our record was 60-0 that year. There were so many different personalities on that team, and we had a great mixture of babies, veterans and people in the middle of their career. Everybody on the team understood what their goal was individually, and everybody understood the team goal. We made lots of sacrifices on that team. For an entire year, we lived together and trained together in Colorado Springs. There were times during that year when I really wanted to quit because of the schedule that we had. Plus, I couldn’t stand to play for Coach Tara Van Derveer at the time, but to this day, I have so much respect for her, who she is and what she means to the game of basketball. Training with her during that year taught me so much about myself and about the game. To this day, I think playing for her during those Games helped make me the person and player I am today. Looking back on it, I enjoyed every moment and every day spent with that team and coaching staff. It was a special team.<\/p>\n Sheryl Swoopes wearing the “Olympic” Nike Air Swoopes\n

Snkrs Day: So, you went from being one of the youngest players on the ’96 team to being the veteran on the 2004 team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheryl Swoopes: Yes. I went from being the baby on the team in ’96 to being the mom on the team in ’04. On that team, me, Dawn Staley, and Lisa Leslie had a real strong bond. Dawn and Lisa weren’t going to go to the Games that year without me, Dawn and I weren’t going to go without Lisa, and Lisa and I weren’t going to go without Dawn. We were kind of a trio that grew with the Olympic team. All three of us went from the babies on the ’96 team to the veterans on the ’04 team. The three of us grew with each other and knew what we were going to get from each other every single day in practice and in the games. It was a great feeling for me because, even though I was one of the oldest players on the team, I still felt I had a lot to give in the position of teaching the younger players the things that we learned along the way while playing under Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain and the other veterans on the ’96 team. To be able to pass on the things we learned in ’96, made it a special moment for me.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: Is there a player on this year’s Olympic Basketball team that reminds you of yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheryl Swoopes: None [Laughs]. There’s a couple of players that remind me of myself offensively, and then there’s some that remind me of myself defensively. If I had to pick one, it would be Tamika Catchings. I don’t know if she reminds me of myself per se, but I just admire her talent, her ability and her hard work. She works hard on both ends. She’s not just satisfied with being a good offensive player or a good defensive player. She really works hard on both ends. I’d liked to think that’s the kind of player I was.<\/p>\n Sheryl Swoopes (rear) wearing the “Olympic” Nike Air Tuned Swoopes\n

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Snkrs Day: In addition to breaking barriers with Nike, you were selected as a poster child for the WNBA when it began, seeing that you appeared in a number of promotional ads. One that many remember is the commercial with you, your son and a young Kyla Pratt. Explain the significance of that experience.
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Sheryl Swoopes: It was really fun to film a commercial with her. At the time, I didn’t really know who she was because she hadn’t been in a lot of movies and commercials before then. I think she blew up after that commercial. It was just a fun time for me because my son was involved in it, and he had on my shoes in the commercial too – a little baby version. I also had a little bit of say-so in the commercial as far as what I wanted, what I wanted to say, what I wanted to do, and who I wanted to be in the commercial. It was a great commercial – not just for Nike or me – for female athletes.<\/p>\n