It’s no secret that women’s basketball is having a breakout year in 2024, and the latest addition to the movement is the iconic streetwear brand AND1. In May, they announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with 2023 LSU women’s basketball champion Alexis Morris, who will serve as the brand’s First Lady, in hopes of adding their trademark streetball tenacity to the women’s basketball scene.
Morris is an undeniable contributor to the more recent explosion of the women’s game. As a bonafide star of the 2022-23 LSU Tigers March Madness run, she scored a pivotal 21 points in the national championship victory over the then Caitlin Clark-led Iowa women’s basketball squad. This was a game that propelled women’s basketball into consistent national discourse following the viral “you can’t see me” moment between Clark and Morris’ former LSU teammate Angel Reese.
Following her collegiate career, she was then selected by the Connecticut Sun in the 2023 WNBA draft before making history as just the seventh woman to ever suit up for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Morris’ basketball resume speaks for itself, and her partnership with AND1 is yet another step in her impressive journey. By pairing her fresh perspective on modern basketball with a heavy dose of ‘90s and ‘00s nostalgia, Morris is helping to reintroduce the brand into the mainstream spotlight. Some of the First Lady’s new initiatives include an updated batch of the classic “trash talk” merchandise, in partnership with Mitchell & Ness. She also had an appearance at AND1’s Coney Island Open Run on June 23.
In an exclusive interview with the host and founder of the Listen In With KNN podcast and radio show, Morris shared some authentic insights into her collaboration with AND1. She reflected on her upbringing in Beaumont, Texas, where she was introduced to streetball around the same time as AND1’s meteoric rise to popularity. Influenced by mixtape legends like Rafer “Skip 2 My Lou” Alston, Stephon Marbury and The Professor, Morris can’t help but feel grateful for her current position as the brand’s first female brand ambassador.
Photo Credit: Soul Brother
She thought back to her ambitious younger self and gushed. “That’s why I love AND1 so much, because I literally grew up playing streetball. It takes me back to my origins, to where I started.”
Morris wants to have this same positive effect on the next generation but also hopes to reach an even larger audience for AND1. In her unique platform as the First Lady of an iconic organization, Morris has set her sights on giving back to young Black girls in particular.
She astutely noted that “There’s nothing like a Black woman empowering another Black young lady.”
This is especially poignant in the context of AND1’s overwhelmingly male demographic. This sentiment is a key part of Morris’ efforts to be “unapologetic” in her approach to being a role model that the next wave of athletes can look up to.
Photo Credit: Soul Brother
Morris wrapped up the conversation with a message of unification that highlighted her understanding of how momentous these past few years have been for women’s sports.
She declared, “We’re at a point where we can’t be denied. And I want every woman or female, whatever industry you’re in, to capitalize on this moment or use this moment to empower the next woman. Because this is the moment we’ve been waiting for, as a whole.”
For any newcomers to AND1 or to women’s basketball, Alexis Morris boldly said, “What can’t a woman bring to the table?”
One thing is certain. From her championship run at LSU, to the stage of the WNBA draft, to the now show-stopping Harlem Globetrotters, she does it all. You can catch Morris at the gritty AND1 open runs.
First Lady Alexis Morris has earned her seat at that table.
