This past WNBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas was one for the books, with a focus on empowering women and celebrating the womanhood embodied by the W Roster. Adidas Basketball made a point to release another collection in collaboration with renowned basketball player and everyone’s favorite role model, Candace Parker of the Las Vegas Aces. Whether you aspire to be a future WNBA player or enjoy channeling your inner “Love & Basketball” aesthetic with a shoe made for the court, The Candace Parker Collection: Part III is here.
To kick-off the weekend, the women’s basketball community, in partnership with Hoop York City’s Alex Taylor, held a Select Try and Open Run event for local youth basketball programs. Participants were gifted limited-edition Hoop York City clothing, as well as a pair of Parker’s Exhibit selects, which the girls are already obsessing over.
Ever since the debut of Candace Parker Collection I, Parker has hosted an annual All-Star Weekend Ace Party to celebrate her new home with the Las Vegas Aces and the launch of her new shoe collection. The Exhibit Selects come in three colorways: “Game Royalty,” “Queen of the Cards,” and “Champagne” all available online, in-store, and at DICK’S Sporting Goods. During the All-Star game, several of her fellow players were spotted wearing the shoes, with first-time All-Star Aliyah Boston wearing the “Game Royalty” colorway.
Each colorway signifies womanhood and the game of basketball. “Champagne,” a neutral and sleek colorway, represents the feeling of victory after winning an All-Star game. “Everybody wants to be drinking champagne at the end of the season,” says Parker. “However, I like to remember the whole journey and the process that leads us to the final champagne moment.”
For Parker, storytelling was the most important part of the design process. This time, the shoe is about the sisterhood within the W Roster. And just from watching the All-Star game, it’s evident that regardless of the team these women play for, they are there for each other.
Parker continues, “To have a shoe for women, designed by women, first and foremost speaks to the evolution of the game and what we’ve accomplished in the process to help make it better. I had my signature shoe with Adidas, and now we’re creating shoes designed just for women, so I think it shows how far we’ve come.”
The Exhibit Selects offer both comfort and versatility, reflecting Parker’s multifaceted talent as both a guard and a post. In three words, Parker sums up the essence of the collection, capturing what any aspiring female athlete desires: performance, versatility, and passion. With her third Adidas collection, Candace Parker continues to inspire aspiring female athletes to dream big, showcasing her passion for the game and empowering women to make their mark on and off the court.