In today’s NBA, some of the most popular players use the player tunnel between their rides to the locker room to make a statement of fashion; for WNBA superstar Elena Delle Donne, she has always used her’s to make a statement of inclusivity and accessibility. Her advocacy runs deep, using it as far as the blueprint for her first collaboration with Nike on the Zoom Air UNVRS in 2019, integrating the Swoosh’s FlyEase technology for people with physical limitations to make a basketball shoe they can easily put on, and rely on.

Elena Delle Donne has a sister, Lizzie, born blind and deaf, with autism and cerebral palsy. Inspired by her everyday, Donne adopted the creation of a more inclusive world for people like her sister as her raison d’être, one manifested in the design of her first signature model: the Nike Air DELDON 1.

This second offering of the DELDON 1 retains the technical specs of its predecessor, save for a new color palette of blue and grey shades. The construction of the upper features a fold-down nylon tongue for easy entry with an assisting pull tab to secure the fit, further helped by the heel cages borrowed from the Glide FlyEase. For weight reduction and breathability, the base features a full-mesh build, over the Air Strobel sole unit. Lastly, the hangtag on the right pair bare words signifying Nike’s and Donne’s commitment to everyone.

A release is expected to arrive in the coming weeks at Nike.com and select Nike Basketball retailers, with a price tag of US$120.

Also arriving soon is the Nike Air Zoom GT Cut 2, the most technologically-advanced basketball shoe to date.