Jordan Brand NIL Athlete Kiki Rice Debuts the Air Jordan 38 During March Madness
A new Air Jordan is on the way, and a first look of the shoe was provided by women’s college basketball star Kiki Rice.
On Saturday, the UCLA Bruins guard debuted the Air Jordan 38 when her team faced the South Carolina Gamecocks. During the Sweet 16 round matchup of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, Rice laced up a pair in a primarily white and black colorway with hits of red.
Although Rice debuted the Air Jordan 38 on the court Saturday, Jordan Brand has not revealed release information for the shoe.
The current Air Jordan 37, however, is available to buy now. The female-focused pair, which Jordan Brand said was engineered specifically for the women’s game, features full-length Formula 23 foam and a single Zoom Air unit in the forefoot. This was done, Jordan Brand explained, to focus on speed and flexibility, and to offer a closer to the ground feel with added mobility and responsiveness.
The women’s-specific Air Jordan 37 retails for $175 and can be shopped now on Nike.com.
Rice made history in October 2022 when Jordan Brand revealed she was its first-ever name, image and likeness (NIL) athlete. “It’s an incredible milestone, and I think it’s a testament to the hard work I’ve put in and all the people around me who have helped me get to this point,” Rice said at the time in a statement.
Speaking with FN in March, Rice, 19 admitted she has already witnessed a dramatic increase in the spotlight that surrounds her now that she’s a Jordan Brand athlete — although she is no stranger to heightened attention. As a senior playing for Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., she earned honors as national player of the year, and ESPN’s class of 2022 ranked her as the No. 2 women’s player and top point guard.
“In terms of getting the recognition and attention that I have since a young age, it comes with pressure because I know there are a lot of eyes on me. People are watching what I do and how I perform,” Rice told FN last month. “But I’m grateful to be in this position and I always bring myself back to that. I take that pressure and challenge myself and use it as a motivating factor in terms of my improvement and my work ethic.”
UCLA’s run for a women’s college basketball title came to an end Saturday, falling to the South Carolina Gamecocks 59-43.
Gallery: Jasmine Jordan, Kiki Rice and Kiyomi McMiller: The FN Cover Shoot