The RoundHouse | 7/3/2025 9:22:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Karon Boyd lifted weights Wednesday morning in his new Nike KD N7 light blue shoes. Dillon Battie wore a yellow Nike shirt, Flying W on the shoulder, and black Nike shorts.
Gabi Maas is excited about the Nike Kyrie Irving high tops she plans to wear for volleyball.
Nike is back on the feet and bodies of Wichita State athletics, official as of Tuesday.
“We’ve been trained – ‘Just Do It,’ from a young age,” said Battie, a forward on the men’s basketball team. “Everybody wears Nike.”
Of course, the “Swoosh” always rules fashion plans for young people. The brand is an omnipresent cultural and athletic force, representing the most popular athletes, the coolest colors and the freshest designs.
“Growing up as kid, everyone has dreams to be in the NBA,” said Boyd, a forward on the Shocker men’s basketball team. “A lot of kids have dreams to be sponsored by Nike, too. Have their own personal shoe deal.”
Most of the Shockers, in all sports, prefer Nike gear off the court (or field, course, lanes or track). Most of them eagerly awaited a return to Nike as WSU’s provider of uniforms, shoes and practice outfits.
“Nike is the standard for what people look at in a program,” Maas said. “If you have Nike, it’s a bigger draw. My everyday stuff is a lot of Nike.”
Out with the old…#FearTheWheat x #PrepareForTakeoff pic.twitter.com/xU0Ai0J0B8
— Wichita State Volleyball (@GoShockersVB) July 2, 2025
If young people like it, coaches like it. In basketball, the connection with Nike and athletes starts early in life.
“Nike is a force in the basketball market,” men’s basketball coach Paul Mills said. “You get a lot of people who get an affinity for certain gear.”
On Tuesday, WSU started its Nike era for all sports. In 2017, it switched to Under Armour to end an era of sport-specific contracts (for example, men’s basketball wore Nike through 2019, baseball stayed with Under Armour and volleyball wore Adidas through 2019).
The five-year agreement with Nike provides uniforms, shoes and practice apparel for all 16 sports. Bowling will wear Nike for travel and workouts, but not competition. Many track and field athletes prefer Nike shoes because of the performance boost from the brand’s carbon plate technology.
Most prominently, Shocker men’s basketball returns to the Nike brand primarily worn since an early 1980’s switch from Converse.
Converse ruled the basketball market for decades, but that started to change in the 1970’s. Nike introduced its first basketball shoes in 1972 and began its major move in the 1980s. Coach Gene Smithson arrived in 1978 and by 1980 the Shockers moved to Nike and stayed with the brand with brief exceptions. WSU wore Converse under coach Eddie Fogler (expected because of his North Carolina history) in the late 1980s. Media guide pictures show New Balance for a least a season under coach Mike Cohen in the early 1990s.
For coaches fighting for the slightest recruiting edge, the association with NIke is welcomed. Wearing the right shoes and gear may not seal the deal in the revenue sharing era, but it can put the Shockers in the right group of schools.
“When you talk about Nike in the basketball perspective, there are a lot more options on shoes and what players are comfortable with,” Mills said. “A lot of brands do a good job with clothes. Where Nike differentiates itself is from a shoe perspective. Basketball shoes, to basketball players, are pretty significant.”
Fans know all the reasons for the brand’s popularity. Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. Caitlin Clark. Sabrina Ionescu.
“It’s the most popular brand in the world,” women’s basketball coach Terry Nooner said. “We’ve got a lot of Kobe fans. You’ve got A’ja Wilson, who just came out with a shoe this summer. My daughter went crazy about being able to get the A’ja Wilson shoes. You’ve got Sabrina shoes.”
Athletes crave the prestige and variety of Nike shoes and identify with the stable of well-known endorsers. They consider Nike gear top quality. Nike wins in the fashion area, as well.
“I, personally, have always played in Nike,” Boyd said. “The shoes are very comfortable. I always wear the gear whenever I go out.”
Maas, who plays libero for the Shockers, wears the Kyrie Irving shoes made for basketball because she likes the traction the soles provide.
“I’m a big Kyrie girl,” she said. “I wore them in high school. I get to wear them again and I’m very excited. I love Nike basketball shoes.”
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
