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Archive/The Legends Wing/Sheryl Swoopes
Nike1995 – 2002 · six modelsDormant

Air Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes · Dormant — And Overdue

The first women's basketball signature shoe ever — 1995, two years before the WNBA played a game. Every women's signature on this site traces to this one.

The Legend

A two-way wing they called 'the female Jordan' — scoring, defense, and all-court dominance before the WNBA even existed.


3× WNBA MVP4× WNBA Champion3× Olympic GoldFirst WNBA Signing

The Story

Before A'ja, before Sabrina, before Caitlin — there was the Air Swoopes, the first women's basketball signature in history, launched in 1995 before the WNBA existed. Six models followed. The line has been dormant since a lone 2017 retro of the Air Swoopes 2, and Swoopes herself has publicly lobbied Nike to bring it back amid the current women's signature boom. The industry consensus: it's not if, it's when.

Line File
Signature LineAir Swoopes
BrandNike
Iconic ModelNike Air Swoopes (1995)
Years1995 – 2002 · six models
2026 StatusDormant — And Overdue
2026 ReleasesNone — last retro was the Air Swoopes 2 in 2017. Swoopes has publicly called for its return.

When the vault opens, know first.

Retro announcements land in the same alert as new signatures.

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