WNBA star Kelsey Plum gave fans two consecutive years of iconic cigar photos while celebrating the Las Vegas Aces’ back-to-back championship wins. With a new season here, Under Armour created shoes inspired by Plum’s beloved cigars to wear on the court.
Plum will wear the “All the Smoke” player edition (PE) of the women’s UA Breakthru 5 basketball shoes on Tuesday for the Aces’ opening night. The Aces will host the Phoenix Mercury at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, with game time set for 10 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.
To create the cigar theme, Under Armour employed white quartz as the base color and added metallic gold — a nod to the team’s championship rings — on the heel and side panels. Also, to create a cigar band, the brand added Plum’s “KP” logo to the heel in cordovan, a dark red hue, as well as a gold outline. The cordovan color is also featured on the webbing for the laces.
The UA Breakthru 5 is designed for women, and features Under Armour’s UA Flow cushioning and traction technology underfoot.
Aside from the Under Armour shoe, Plum made headlines on Monday as one of the stars of the latest Skims campaign. Skims, official underwear partner of the WNBA, delivered a campaign replete with WNBA stars ahead of the regular season debut, a lineup that included Candace Parker, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Cameron Brink and others.
After Tuesday night’s game, Plum and the Aces will host the Los Angeles Sparks on May 18 at the Michelob Ultra Arena. The game will start at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
