Finally, summer 2025 is here, and so is Pride month. To mark the occasion, Nike has unveiled a series of new styles designed specifically with Pride in mind. A true moment for celebration, Nike’s latest shoes have been designed by legacy athletes Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley – a married couple who have just welcomed their first child.
Both US-based professional basketball players, Courtney Vandersloot first met Allie Quigley in Slovakia, towards the end of the 2012/13 Euroleague season. Of course, they met on the basketball court when Quigley’s team (who won) played Vandersloot’s team during a five-game series. At that point, Vandersloot had already been playing with her US team for three years, and as a result of the impressive Slovakian championship, Quigley was also approached by them, despite very nearly quitting basketball for good.
The two players met for a second time on the plane back to the US and for a third time in the limousine that picked them both up from the airport. For the ‘Vanderquigs’, as they playfully call themselves now, the rest is history. The pair were married in December 2018, in front of 100 guests in Vandersloot’s hometown of Seattle.
Seven years later and the couple are not only growing their family (they welcomed daughter Jana Christine Vandersloot Quigley in April) but growing their skillset too, having now turned their hand to sneaker design. The couple have launched their own limited edition interpretations of some of Nike’s most coveted styles: the Air Max 1, P-6000 and Sabrina 2.
Though both players picked the Sabrina 2 for an individual makeover, Quigley also picked the P-6000, while Vandersloot opted for the Air Max 1. Quigley’s P-6000 features a silver palette and iridescent lilac sheen – a colour often heavily associated with queer women. Her version of the Sabrina 2 is vibrant, glow-in-the-dark and unmissable on or off the court. As for Vandersloot’s Sabrina 2, the colourways are a deeper, yet more subtle take on the Pride flag, whilst her Air Max 1 is somewhat less subtle – it’s playful, fun and even features an intricate daisy design within the Nike swoosh.