New Balance announces multi-year partnership with the WNBA

As we’ve covered previously on Under the Laces, the WNBA’s popularity and public appeal is at an all-time high. For many years, the league has fought to garner a similar response and reputation to their male counterparts. Despite having many talented, established stars throughout the years, the influx of new prospects has bolstered the WNBA’s success as of late. 

Sponsorships and big-time brands are clearly taking note, and it couldn’t be more evident than the newly announced partnership between New Balance and the WNBA. As mentioned in an official press statement via New Balance/WNBA, the partnership’s intention is “aimed at elevating women’s sports and inspiring the next generation of fans and athletes alike”. 

The partnership between New Balance and the WNBA is a momentous occasion.

New Balance is no stranger to involving itself with the game of basketball, regardless of gender. The brand has an NBA star lineup including Darius Garland, Zach Lavine, Dejounte Murray, Jamal Murray, and of course, Kawhi Leonard, locked down to their basketball subdivision. Likewise, New Balance has one of the WNBA’s most promising stars signed to their brand in Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink. 

Brink was selected with the second overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, right behind highly-touted generational talent Caitlin Clark. Brink’s partnership with New Balance first began by signing an NIL (Name, image, likeness) deal in 2023, when she was still a member of the Stanford Cardinals basketball program.

After declaring her entry into the WNBA and becoming of the league’s bright young prospects, Brink has since been promoted as one of New Balance Basketball’s most prominent faces. Unfortunately for the towering 6-foot-3 forward, she suffered a severe ACL tear which has ruled her out for the remainder of the season. Already signed on as part of the New Balance family, the brand have announced Brink will continue to be positioned as one of the focal points in their WNBA campaigns. 

Jess Vassall, who is the Head of Global Partnerships at New Balance, had this to say about their monumental collaboration:

"This relationship with the WNBA is another example of New Balance encouraging all young athletes, particularly women and girls, to pursue their athletic goals and ignite a new era of female empowerment through sport."

- Jess Vassall

New Balance's newlymented partnership alongside the WNBA will not affect their relationships with other brands, such as Nike, who deepened its 25-year association with the WNBA by acquiring an equity stake in the league in 2022.

The future of the partnership's signature WNBA sneaker or apparel collaborations remains uncertain. However, given Cameron Brink's existing signature deal with New Balance, it's likely that she will be among the first athletes to collaborate with the brand on a WNBA-themed project. As a signed New Balance athlete, fans can expect to see her name associated with one of the brand's inaugural WNBA collaborations.