The 2022 season was the first for Destanni Henderson in the WNBA. After a storied career with the South Carolina Gamecocks at the NCAA level, Henderson entered the W with the Indiana Fever and she proved in her rookie season that she has pro-level talent to go along with her marketable personality.
She is beginning to reap the rewards as this year’s offseason is in its beginning stages. “Henny,” along with Caroline Ducharme at UConn, have signed on to be brand ambassadors for Moolah Kicks ahead of its launch the new Neovolt pro women’s basketball shoe.
The shoes are more comfortable than anything I have ever worn before, and the quality is definitely there. I am excited to partner with Moolah Kicks and be an ambassador for a brand I believe in.
–Destanni Henderson (via press release)
The shoe will be available at Dick’s Sporting Goods locations as well as at its website. It is another step in Dick’s making major inroads in the women’s sports market. The retailer is one of the more well-known outlets for official WNBA merchandise.
Moolah Kicks’ website will also feature the new Neovolt Pro. It will sell for $125 and will be featured in four colorways – black and gold, navy and blue, white and silver and orange and pink.
Last fall, Moolah Kicks inked an exclusive distribution deal with Dick’s Sporting Goods. The shoe will be available in more than 450 stores while the Dick’s footprint spans roughly 800-900 locations – including stores in every one of the WNBA’s 12 incumbent markets. The partnership with Dick’s began with an email from White to an executive at the company.
According to a press release, Neovolt’s Pro offerings fuse together “the strength, attitude and tenacity surrounding women’s basketball with state-of-the-art technology engineered to biomechanically fit the female foot form.” It makes mention of a return midsole designed for quicker push-off as well as a heel clip that serves stability purposes for a faster first step. The shoe’s lace and webbing are another one of its standard features.
The release mentions how the Neovolt Pro establishes “a new standard by focusing on early injury prevention for young girls to support career longevity.” Henderson mentioned how she is also a rising entrepreneur and Moolah Kicks being woman-owned was a key reason why she decided to team with them for this effort.
The Neovolt Pro will enable female basketball players to perform at their highest level. We are thrilled to have Dick’s Sporting Goods champion women’s basketball and the Moolah Kicks brand and excited to have talented basketball players like Destanni and Caroline representing the brand.
–Natalie White, Moolah Kicks Founder and CEO (via press release)
White, now in New York City, first founded Moolah Kicks in 2020 and played basketball at Boston College. She recalled during her senior year while studying finance an advertisement where a quintet of WNBA players were plugging kicks – for men. She herself played her entire career wearing gear made for boys, men or tailored for unisex tastes.
A key aim for White and Moolah Kicks is to reinvest the money it generates into more women’s basketball products in addition to greater sponsorship opportunities for women and girls in the growing sport. Another goal for White and Moolah Kicks is that their products have a positive impact on overall performance.
Moolah Kicks is involved in NIL deals with over 40 athletes and in sponsoring more than 116 travel basketball teams in the AAU circuit. A national ad that featured the brand garnered more than 40 million views. “Moolah” is a nod to basketball’s street culture and as an extension of White’s vision that the company will be a boon for more money overall going in the sport’s direction.
We believe in what Natalie and Moolah Kicks are doing not only for women’s basketball, but women’s sports in general and are excited to be along for the journey.
–Carrie Guffey, SVP of Softlines Marketing and Vertical Brands at Dick’s Sporting Goods (via press release)
One of Moolah Kicks’ partners happens to be Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban. He, of course, is also known through his work on ABC’s “Shark Tank” and is a co-founder of media company 2929 Entertainment – which is also based in Dallas. Cuban also is over Brondell – a company that specializes in select products in the realm of home improvement. He also owns the town of Mustang – a town approximately an hour south and east of Dallas.
Natalie has an amazing feel for what athletes want. The shoes are beautiful, great in-game and affordable. I’m proud to be her partner.
–Mark Cuban, investor and advisor for Moolah Kicks (via press release)
Moolah Kicks says it is the first and sole brand for women’s basketball sneakers whose kicks are custom made to biomechanically fit woman athletes. A symbol of the partnership between Moolah and Dick’s happened with the Phantom 1, which launched in over 140 of Dick’s stores.
