While there’s been plenty of talk about the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team and its strong showing in Rio, the women’s basketball team has had an even better run at the games.
The women’s team has dominated on the court. Just this week, it defeated China by a score of 105-62, and it took down Japan with a final score of 110-64.
In its first five games, the group — which includes Olympic veterans Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, as well as newer stars Breanna Stewart and Elena Della Donne — has won by an average margin of 40 points. So hopes are high for another brilliant performance tonight, as the women face off against France in the semifinals.
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On the court, the athletes have been sporting a range of basketball sneakers from Nike and Jordan. Many of the players have sponsorship deals with the brands as part of their WNBA gigs, so for the games, they’ve donned patriotically colored versions of the latest styles.
Most of the team members, including Stewart, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles and Tamika Catchings, have been wearing the Nike Hyperdunk 2016 in a special Olympic makeup. Unfortunately, the Team USA colorway isn’t available now for purchase, but Nike.com has other versions of the high-top sneaker for $140.
Della Donne, meanwhile, opted not to wear the special Zoom HyperRev 2015 iD that Nike created for her. Instead, she’s competing in the Nike Hyperdunk 2016 Flyknit, featuring a white Flyknit upper and high-cut collar. That sneaker retails for $200 at major sporting goods stores like Foot Locker.
Other players took the brand loyalty to the next level by donning the signature sneakers of Nike’s top men.
Bird and Tamika Catchings have both been wearing the special Olympic versions of the Kyrie 2 high-tops (which Cleveland Cavaliers star Irving has himself been wearing at the Olympics and which are available on Nike.com for $120).
And Taurasi showed her toughness with a patriotic version of the LeBron XIII high-top. That style features Hyperposite panels on the midfoot and collar for durability and support.
The one minor outlier in the sea of Nike sneakers was Maya Moore, and she didn’t really stray that far. The 27-year-old forward from Atlanta has been wearing the new Air Jordan XXXI high-tops, which retail for $185.
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