Maya Moore: Why Did It Take so Long for Jordan Brand to Sign a Female Baller?

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Maya Moore Becomes First Female Basketball Player to Sign with Jordan Brand

When people think of basketball, there's a good chance that Michael Jordan is the first name that comes to mind. He's the greatest player the game has ever known, and he might just be the most famous athlete in the history of sports.

When you think of basketball paraphernalia, Jordan's name comes up once again. The Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, is the premiere line of basketball gear in existence, and it has grown like a weed ever since the first Air Jordans were first introduced in the mid-1980s.

Yet, the Jordan Brand experienced a first on Wednesday. Maya Moore, the former UConn women's basketball star and No. 1 over all pick of the Minnesota Lynx, became the first female basketball star to sign an endorsement deal with the popular brand.

"As a student of the game, it is a dream come true to align myself with a brand that has a rich history in sports," said, according to the Associated Press. "Like most kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and continue to work relentlessly to reach his iconic status on the court. I'm truly motivated to take my career to the next level as a member of Team Jordan."

There's no arguing that Moore certainly deserves the honor of being the first female baller to sign with the Jordan Brand. She is one of the great players in the history of women's college basketball, winning two national titles and twice earning AP Player of the Year honors.

However, there is a question to be asked here: why did it take this long for the Jordan Brand to align itself with a female basketball player?

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The most obvious reason is also the simplest reason: money. For all intents and purposes, female athletes just don't bring in the bucks quite like top-shelf male athletes do. That's not sexist. It's a fact.

However, because the Jordan Brand is the most prominent line of basketball gear in existence, you would think that it would have signed at least one female baller somewhere along the line, even if it were just for the sake of appearances.

There have certainly been plenty of worthy candidates through the years, and most of them were produced by Moore's alma mater. Sue Bird was a pretty big star when she turned pro in 2002, and so was Diana Taurasi in 2004 and Tina Charles in 2010.

Elsewhere, you can look at players like Lisa Leslie, who probably should have been signed up as soon as she became the first WNBA player to dunk a basketball.

In fact, you have to wonder why the Jordan Brand didn't try to latch onto somebody when the WNBA was founded way back in 1996. Jordan was still playing back then, so there's no telling what kind of marketing scheme could have been devised.

Instead, Jordan and the rest of the Jordan Brand decision-makers waited another 15 years. That's a lot of missed opportunities.

Oh well. One assumes that Moore will be a good investment. After all, that's really the only thing that matters, right?

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