WNBA’s Courtney Williams Faces Fines Over Sneaker Brand Dispute

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Courtney Williams, an All-Star guard for the Minnesota Lynx, discovered before a game on July 3 that her sneakers had been altered. The logos on her Moolah Kicks had been colored over and taped to comply with WNBA uniform rules, necessitated by her shoe brand’s lack of a league contract.

The situation escalated after Williams was fined $100 for wearing the unapproved shoes during a June 25 game against the Washington Mystics. The WNBA imposed further fines, doubling with each offense, warning Williams of possible suspensions if she continued to wear Moolah shoes.

Despite the fines, Williams endorsed Moolah Kicks, a new footwear brand focused solely on women’s basketball. Before the All-Star Game, she wore her modified sneakers and expressed support for women-centric brands, stating, “Anything that is women supporting women, I want to be a part of it.”

Moolah Kicks is the brainchild of Natalie White, a former basketball player from New York. Claiming to be the first brand to focus exclusively on women’s basketball shoes, Moolah has ambitious plans but currently lacks a contract with the WNBA. White revealed that the league’s financial demands for a deal were “prohibitive.”

Many established sneaker brands, including Nike and Puma, dominate the market and have significant contracts with players. Nike serves as the exclusive uniform provider for the WNBA, affecting how smaller brands like Moolah operate.

White has encouraged the WNBA to find ways to collaborate, hoping to demonstrate Moolah’s alignment with the league’s values. “If the WNBA really understands the company, it’s something they would love to support,” she said.

The league issued fines after Williams transitioned into wearing Moolah shoes while the team developed a makeshift solution for the branding issue. However, as recent photographs showed, the taped logos occasionally became visible during gameplay, prompting additional warnings from the league.

Ongoing negotiations between the WNBA and its players union add tension to this issue as they negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Williams’ situation underscores the complexity of brand visibility and financial agreements in the professional women’s sports industry.