Dear adidas, "The Spectacle" Olivia Miles Deserves a Signature Shoe

Olivia Miles already has a nickname that could feed herself and her family for generations to come: The Spectacle. A nod to her electrifying style of play and her throwback hooper look with the goggles and the hair naturally flowing out, it’s actually shocking to realize it’s never been used before by another basketball legend. It’s not unlike when people first heard nicknames like Magic, Iceman, or The Answer; all it takes for a new fan to buy into the moniker is to hear it and watch a highlight package. In Miles’ case, you just need the nickname, a picture to make the connection, and a ten-minute highlight video that’s just a showcase for her dribble and layup package when she’s only been in the league for what feels like ten minutes.

Panini, the holder of the exclusive rights to produce WNBA trading cards, would be wise to ask Miles to sign a handful of cards with her autograph and the inscription “The Spectacle” to insert in their upcoming slate of products. But there is another company that should be keeping an eye on Miles. And it’s the one who currently employs her to wear the most basic colorway of the Crazy Energy Execution as she’s breaking records left and right.

No player exclusive colorway, no solo feature on the socials, no pithy logo that’s just a mashup of her jersey number and initials. Not even a cameo in an Anthony Edwards commercial for a takedown model. She’s not even drawing attention to herself by hosting a podcast or scoring an ESPN feature story that leads to a flashpoint in the culture war and a player exclusive to skyrocket in resale value. Actually, not choosing to venture down that last part is actually good. However, adidas, the brand in question, undoubtedly needs to do more. As the kids would say, “What are we doing here?”

Olivia Miles' Stats So Far

Before we politely ask adidas to give Olivia (and the people) what they want sooner than later, here’s a look at some of the rookie records and accomplishments that Miles has either broken or is on her way to obliterating at season’s end.

• Fastest to 500 points and 150 assists in WNBA history
• Single-Game 3-Point Record (8)
• Single-Game Lynx Rookie Scoring Record (33)
• Most Points in a Single Half by a Rookie (24)
• First WNBA rookie to record 25+ points, 5+ assists, on 75%+ shooting
• Front-runner for WNBA Rookie of the Year
• Candidate for WNBA MVP
• Leading the Minnesota Lynx to a #1 seed in the playoffs despite the 2025 MVP runner-up just returning from an injury

Unless Azzi Fudd goes on a historic run during the final stretch of the regular season, the Rookie of the Year award is all but wrapped up for Miles. MVP seems unlikely for The Spectacle as Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson and Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell - whom Miles is a big fan of - are locked in a battle for the prestigious award, but the biggest prize of them all - a WNBA Championship - is in play. Not since Maya Moore has there been a player who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and the championship in the same season. Miles has as good a chance to not only be the first time in a long time, but to repeat the accomplishment on the same team as Moore, the Minnesota Lynx.

WNBA Signature Sneaker Landscape

The timeline of WNBA signature shoes can be divided into four distinct eras. The first few years of The W featured signature shoes for icons like Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, and Lisa Leslie, with Swoopes in particular getting a fruitful seven-shoe run. This would be followed by the 2000s and short-lived signature lines for Diana Taurasi, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Candace Parker as brands shifted towards giving the players exclusive colorways like Sue Bird’s Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 that finally got a retail release a few weeks ago.

The dark period of the 2010s was embarrassing for all parties as somehow future hall of fame talents like Bird and Maya Moore were deemed unworthy of signature kicks by the powers that be, while Parker’s signature shoe journey ended at two models. No amount of Air Jordan 11 PEs for Moore could replace a hypothetical signature shoe that would have been on the feet of Napheesa Collier and Cailtin Clark when they were growing up.

The growth in the league’s popularity post-COVID has given brands the green light to develop signature shoes. Today, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, and most recently, Caitlin Clark are all signature athletes. But there is room for more, especially at a brand that currently does not have a WNBA athlete with a signature shoe.

Adidas is not starved for WNBA talent. Besides Miles, the brand recently signed All-Star and two-time champion Kelsey Plum and announced it for all the world to see in the aforementioned Anthony Edwards adidas Believe That 1 commercial. Other All-Stars that wear the Crazy Energy and the PE versions of adidas Harden Vol. 10 and the adidas DON Issue 8 include four-time champ Chelsea Grey, former Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, three-time All-Star Satou Sabally, and part-time UFC Octagon Girl, full-time lightning rod Sophie Cunningham.

There are names on that list deserving of a signature shoe, but if adidas wants to make the biggest splash, Miles is the no-brainer choice to be the first since Candace Parker’s Ace sneakers in the early 2010s. She might be setting records in the Cloud White and Metallic Silver colorway of the adidas Crazy Energy Execution, but adidas has an amazing opportunity that just landed on their lap. The hope is that they know what to do with it.

NIL Deals

The journey to become a signature shoe athlete at any of the major sneaker brands has never been as complex as it is today. From the perspective of a sneaker boomer, a pro athlete just needs to play well enough early enough for a brand to justify investing time, money, and resources into building an entire line around them. The dawn of the NIL gold rush era has led to kids signing with brands earlier than ever, so they will be associated with one brand no matter what school they land at.

In the case of Kiki Rice, star point guard for UCLA who concluded her Bruin career with a National Championship a few months ago, she has been linked to Jordan Brand from the moment she stepped foot on campus. As a member of the expansion Toronto Tempo, it should come as no surprise that her Jordan PE game has been top-notch so far.

Meanwhile, Cooper Flagg might have spent one season wearing Kobe Protros while he was at Duke, but on his off days, he was already one of the faces of New Balance Basketball. By the time New Balance decides to bequeath Flagg with a sneaker, the brand’s early investment will have paid off.

After spending nearly her entire college career with Under Armour school Notre Dame, Miles would enter the transfer portal and use her final year of eligibility to play for TCU, a Nike school. According to Miles, her reasoning included earning more money from NIL deals than from a WNBA salary commensurate with a top-two pick while also better preparing her for the league. None of those NIL deals were for a sneaker brand. Miles would sign with adidas right before the 2026 WNBA Draft. If Miles continues her ascent to superstar status, Under Armour not signing Miles while she was at Notre Dame for most of her college career might be their second biggest regret ever.

Previous adidas Signature Athlete Journeys

There is no established path to an adidas signature shoe. The late Kobe Bryant’s first signature shoe with adidas, the KB8, was released in his second season. Tracy McGrady was five seasons in before the launch of the adidas T-Mac 1. Damian Lillard and Candace Parker began their respective signature runs in year 3. James Harden spent several years with Nike before switching to adidas to get the honor. Donovan Mitchell was fast-tracked to signature shoe status just in time for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to cameo for his first commercial.

Anthony Edwards became the face of adidas after the Anthony Edwards 1 became a breakthrough hit in his fourth season. Based on what we’ve seen from Miles so far in half a season in the WNBA is a playstyle that lends itself to what the kids love to see: a dynamic ballhandler who can shoot from distance, throw passes with flair, and finish at the basket with layups from unfathomable angles. Combine that with her unique sense of style, and it’s someone that a brand should be itching to build an entire sneaker and campaign around.

Let’s give adidas the benefit of the doubt. Despite being the second overall pick in the draft, Miles being this good this early was not a prediction the experts and more tuned-in fans were making prior to the season. Now she is the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year with the potential to make even more history in the playoffs with a complete and healthy Lynx line-up that includes Napheesa Collier. Miles might also prefer her current role with adidas, focusing solely on hoops instead of being a walking commercial. If that’s her preference, it’ll be short-lived, however. In the meantime, meetings need to be held, and conversations with Miles’ people need to be on the schedule if it hasn't happened already. The grace period is short with this generation that demands immediacy.

What Will adidas Do?

Whatever decision adidas does or doesn’t make in the coming year will be closely scrutinized by the fanbase. It won’t be on the level of what Nike has to endure with Cailtin Clark as her signature shoe won’t drop until after the end of her third season. Adidas also has to know that testing the audience’s patience in a similar fashion to what Nike did with A’ja Wilson is not a winning move either.

Holding off on the next thing might be the right move for the moment, but if Lynx and the Indiana Fever happen to meet in the WNBA Finals, the mood will change. Without even trying, Miles has already been sucked into the Clark vortex during a Lynx and Fever game thanks to a halftime interview where ESPN’s Holly Rowe tried to ask Miles about Clark. Instead of taking the bait, Miles complimented Kelsey Mitchell, the player she was actually guarding, and declared going up against her was her “welcome to The W moment.” The number of clips claiming Miles was disrespecting Clark or that an inadvertent moment where Miles and Clark’s legs were caught up during a fast break layup has become fodder for the discourse.

It will only get worse and more insufferable should the two teams meet in the postseason, but it will shine a spotlight on Miles that might nudge adidas in the direction that we hope they will take. Olivia Miles is not only part of the show now, but she is The Show, as the GOAT Cheryl Miller likes to call her. Although The (adidas) Spectacle has a nice ring to it as well…

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com