The Top Five Sneakers of WNBA Opening Night

Adidas, Nike, and Puma sneakers shined on WNBA Opening Night.

On Friday night, women's basketball fans got a slight taste of the excitement coming this summer. Only four WNBA games took place last night, but many more teams are tipping off their season this weekend.

It might be premature to make sweeping judgments based on a handful of games, but it is never premature too soon to rank the best sneakers. Below are the top five basketball shoes worn on the court during the first night of the 2023 WNBA season.

Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner grimaces after a fall / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Without a doubt, the biggest storyline of Opening Night was Brittney Griner's return to the hardwood. After nearly ten months of wrongful detention in Russia and being at the center of a diplomatic crisis, Griner did not miss a beat in her return.

In her first game back, Griner tallied 18 points, six rebounds, and four blocks. Even better, the dominant center wore a player-exclusive colorway of some underappreciated Nike shoes.

Griner wore an unreleased pink and yellow colorway of the Nike Air Zoom G.T. Jump. The high-top basketball shoes are available in four colorways on the Nike website.

Breanna Stewart

Breanna Stewart dribbles the ball / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, PUMA launched Brenna Stewart's second signature shoe. The highly-anticipated PUMA Stewie 2 celebrates the different areas of Stewart's life that drive her to be a force of nature.

Stewart tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds in the 'Ruby' colorway, which is named after her daughter and is inspired by the grounding strength of motherhood. Athletes and fans can purchase the bold basketball shoes for $125 in adult sizes on the PUMA website.

Elena Delle Donne

Elena Delle Donne dribbles the ball / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Elena Delle Donne helped lead the Washington Mystics to victory with 13 points and five assists. The veteran used the opportunity to showcase the 'Hoodie' colorway of the Nike Air Del Don.

Nike launched Delle Donne's first signature sneaker in a heartfelt 'Lyme' colorway last summer that paid tribute to her battle with Lyme Disease and her sister. The 'Hoodie' colorway is a nod to the orange WNBA hooded sweatshirt popularized by Kobe Bryant.

The Nike Air Del Don is available in five colorways with a retail price of $120. However, the 'Hoodie' colorway has been marked down to $84 on the Nike website.

Betnijah Laney

Betnijah Laney plays defense / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Much has been made about the new "Big Three" for the New York Liberty, but let us not forget about Betnijah Laney. The forward picked up some tough defensive assignments and chipped in ten points.

Laney represented James Harden's sneaker line on the court last night by wearing the adidas Harden Vol. 7 in the 'Lucid Fucshia' colorway. The futuristic hoop shoes are available in six colorways for $160 on the adidas website.

Sabrina Ionescu

Sabrina Ionescu dribbles the ball / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 18 points last night, but that was not even her most significant accomplishment of the game. Ionescu has a signature sneaker with Nike on the way, but she instead opted to pay tribute to Kobe and Gigi Bryant.

Ionescu, a close friend of the Bryant family, wore the Nike Kobe 4 Protro in the 'Gigi' colorway. The shoes were released in very-limited quantities earlier this month and now have an average resale price of $470 on StockX.

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