LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skechers expanded its all-star roster of athletes with Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson. The WNBA’s first-round draft pick joined Team Skechers after practicing in Skechers Basketball shoes and experiencing the brand’s signature Comfort That Performs.
"I'm thrilled to be the first WNBA player to join forces with Skechers," shared Rickea Jackson. "While Skechers is a new player in the basketball world, their commitment to fit, support, and active collaboration with athletes is clear. The comfort and design of their footwear is truly impressive. I love training in these shoes and I'm eager to see what we can accomplish together."
“So we can give each player the attention they deserve, our roster of professional basketball athletes is tight and focused with veterans like 2022-2023 MVP Joel Embiid and three-time NBA All-Star Julius Randle, as well as rising stars with exceptional talent like LA Clippers shooting guard Terance Mann. We’ve been looking for the right WNBA player to add to Team Skechers and we found her in Rickea Jackson,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “Rickea’s a sensational athlete and an inspiration—and she deserves the best footwear that meets her needs. League rules mean fans won’t see her competing in Skechers now, but we’re already gaining her insights as we continue to deliver the most comfortable and innovative footwear on the court for all athletes.”
Perfect for players like Jackson and Mann who desire a fast and responsive court-feel, the SKX NEXUS™ is a low-top court shoe designed for speed, stability and support. Offering exceptional comfort with resilient Skechers Move Foam™, every pair features a breathable mesh upper, lockdown ankle support in the heel, and Goodyear® rubber with a torsion-plate to amplify traction for quick cuts on the court. The style joins an innovative Skechers Basketball collection that includes the lightweight SKX Resagrip™ with advanced cushioning and the SKX Float™ for exceptional stability and control. Another new style, the SKX Reign™ that promotes elevation and intense traction, will also deliver for the 2024-2025 season.
Rickea Jackson played college basketball at Mississippi State and University of Tennessee where she was named first-team All-SEC in 2023 as a senior. As a freshman at Mississippi State in 2020, Jackson also earned a second-team All-SEC and received the Gillom Trophy as the top women’s college player in Mississippi. Jackson was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks as the number-four overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
The Skechers team of elite athletes competing in the brand’s performance footwear includes NBA players Joel Embiid, Julius Randal and Terance Mann; elite footballers Harry Kane, Mohammed Kudus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Anthony Elanga, as well as many others; golfers Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooke Henderson; pickleball pros Tyson McGuffin and Catherine Parenteau; and Major League Baseball players Clayton Kershaw, Chris Taylor, Brendan Donovan, Aaron Nola, and Wade Miley.
Skechers Basketball footwear is available at skechersbasketball.com and select Skechers retail stores in North America, as well as select retailers and Skechers stores in the Philippines and China, with a global roll out planned for August 2024. Basketball fans can get behind-the-scenes access to Skechers Basketball product launches and more by following @skechersbasketball on Instagram and TikTok.
About SKECHERS U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company® based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through skechers.com and approximately 5,200 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States, and the impact of wars, acts of war and other conflicts around the world; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2024. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
