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Jackie Young made headlines after signing a signature sneaker deal with Skechers recently, a massive step in her career and for the WNBA as a whole. Now the Las Vegas Aces star is revealing the process behind how the shoe sponsorship came together. Young made it clear that she didn't make the decision lightly, and Skechers was able to appeal to her most important priorities.
“The biggest thing: Being able to tell my story through Skechers and the shoes that I’m playing in,” Young said in an interview with Andscape. “The SKX Nexus? I’m able to do that. I’m super excited for some PEs [Player Exclusives]. We have some things in store. I won’t give away all the secrets.”
Young also detailed the plans she has for the platform the move gives her, as she wants to reach out to young athletes who are in a similar situation as she was in when she was around their age.
“The kids that didn’t have much growing up? That was me,” Young said. “If I can give them a pair of shoes or host a camp? That’s something that I want to do. I’m excited because Skechers is excited to do that too, and it shows.”
When it came to landing on Skechers as a partner, Young said her choice to sign the multi-year deal came down to a simple factor: The company understood who she is as a person.
“Letting me be me,” Young said while beaming about the best part of her deal with Skechers. “The PEs I had for All-Star, tapping into the streetwear side of things. Everybody knows I love crop tops. When we did our shoot? I was wearing a crop top.”
Young didn't mince words when it came to emphasizing that her sneakers are another one of her top priorities, which was an aspect Skechers tapped into when courting the four-time All-Star.
“I’m pretty crazy when it comes to my shoes,” Young told Andscape. “It started right before training camp. As soon as I put the shoes on? I like the style, I like the colorways.”
Young rocked a then-unreleased pair of bright pink SKX Nexus sneakers to the Aces' media availability in May as a part of the testing process. The standout shoes even made an appearance in Young's media day pictures. She had to play it coy for the public, however. Young hadn't officially signed the contract with Skechers by the time the WNBA season was starting and even had her Aces teammates help her hide their logo in her photos.
“I was just dodging questions until we could actually release something,” Young said, smiling. “My teammates, my friends? They knew.”
Joining Skechers also gave Young the opportunity to return back to her hometown in Indiana as she prepped for her fourth-consecutive WNBA All-Star appearance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. While there, she celebrated making the deal official by giving out Skechers sneakers at a skills clinic for youth girls' teams in her hometown of Princeton, already starting to act on her overall goals to reach the young basketball community.
The two-time WNBA champion admitted that the effort the footwear company, which began producing basketball footwear in 2023, made to connect to her personal life let her know that she had made the right business decision and prepared her for the partnership ahead.
“We’re trying to do big things,” said Young. “I’ve only been with them a few months, and the team came to my hometown. That says a lot.”
Young joins the likes of fellow WNBA players Rickea Jackson of the LA Sparks and Kiki Iriafen from the Washington Mystics on Skechers' sponsorship roster of ball players, as well as the NBA's Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers and Julius Randle of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The athletes are on the shortlist of Skechers' 12 partnerships involving active WNBA and NBA players. Young said being part of the exclusive club was an added bonus for her.
“I think it’s cool because you have to be confident to wear Skechers,” Young said. “Having that confidence to be like, ‘Yeah, I wanna be with Skechers.’ I think it’s cool because there’s not very many athletes. They’re just getting back into the basketball world.
“You see the shoots Rickea was doing?” Young added. “I was like ‘Yeah, I like who they are and what they stand for.’ We’re heading in the right direction and we’re excited about a lot of new things.”
Young became the latest in a growing crop of league talent to sign an endorsement deal with a major footwear brand. With the growing popularity of the WNBA at an all-time high, the door has opened for more players to make their money off the court with brand partnerships and sponsor deals.
