WNBA’s Connecticut Sun Chiney Ogwumike
After years and years of having to choose from the men’s section when picking out basketball gear NIKE has finally given us women an apparel line made just for us. The Elite Basketball Collection which was designed for women by women is a combination of four pieces: a contoured tank, lightweight shorts, mesh-paneled hoodie, and a pair of tapered pants. Nike Basketball Global Apparel Director Chris Burke explained that they “did a lot of focus groups with both high school and professional basketball players from across the country to make sure we were creating the right styles and incorporating the wants and needs for the female athlete.” With the popularity of basketball growing around the world and more girls becoming interested in the sport it makes perfect sense to cater to the next generation of basketball players.
Just like non athletes want to look nice and wear fitting, stylish and comfortable clothing to work so do basketball players. Over sized men’s shorts and ill-fitting shirts will be a thing of the past. Female basketball players will now be able to wear performance apparel that caters to their unique shapes and sizes. “This is giving us what we want and need. I have been waiting for this forever.” WNBA all-star from the Tulsa Shock and Nike athlete Skylar Diggnis says about the line. Lets just hope that Nike will continue to add more stylish and comfortable pieces to the collection in the near future. Nike.com and select retailers began selling the collection in September. Check out The Elite Basketball Collection here.