Rivalries! The one component that defines the exciting aspect of any sport. This has been the case in the WNBA as well. Seemingly, the competitive equation between someone like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart or, more recently, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese keeps the enthusiasts enthralled. While these on-court exploits are feisty enough to keep the fans engaged, there is an off-court battle also involving 2 heavyweight sports brands — Nike and Adidas that has piqued the interest of many.

Many would believe that currently, the Swoosh is having an upper hand in the WNBA. But, the brand with the three stripes seems to have a plan keeping the LA Olympics in mind. And, the need of the hour requires some handy contributions by one of its most trusted emissaries. As it turns out, she also happens to be the current President of the Adidas Women’s Basketball — Candace Parker.

The 3× WNBA champion opened up about her vision for the Adidas Women’s Basketball in the upcoming times. In conversation with journalist Nick DePaula, Parker spared a thought or two on how she hopes to shape the future of the company for the next generation. With the Olympics fever still intact, the 38-year-old is looking for some significant growth by associating some celebrated names until the next event.

“I want Olympians,” Parker said. “Our goal is for us to have five or six Olympians in the next Olympics. I am very loud and proud about that. I think it’s important. That’s the upper echelon and a huge stage.”

Evidently, Nike has landed some monumental deals with some of the biggest stars in the business over the years. We won’t have to look too far as recently an 8-year $28 million contract with the 2024 1st overall WNBA pick Caitlin Clark managed to catch the eye of many. Similarly, its collaboration with iconic names like A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Diana Taurasi, and more does make a lot of headlines.

In comparison to that, Adidas has fallen behind. Only a handful of names such as the Indiana duo of Erica Wheeler and Aliyah Boston or rookie Aaliyah Edwards are keeping the trademark alive in the league. By all accounts, Candace Parker aims to turn that around. She further adds, “We want MVPs, and we want perennial All-Stars. We’re going to get to work and make sure that we have that.”

In addition to this, Candace Parker also had some interesting thoughts about the signature scheme of things.

Candace Parker’s signature vision

Apparently, Adidas made Candace Parker its first signature athlete. Moreover, to this day, the 7× WNBA All-Star remains the only one. Now, as Parker executes her role as the President of the Adidas Women’s Basketball, she is willing to bring some sort of revolution into it.

“Having a signature shoe carries a great deal of weight, and a signature collection carries a great deal of weight,” Parker expressed. “We’re not going to take that lightly, and we’re not going to make rushed decisions. We’re going to take our time and make sure that we put everything that we have in the brand behind our signature athlete.” At the moment, there have been talks that Aliyah Boston and Aaliyah Edwards could be the signature faces of the brands.

Hardly anyone would argue that Candace Parker is tailor-made for the job. Her contributions and efforts for the game make her an ideal representative of the brand. Now, we await the icon to bring her vision to life.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.