Adena Andrews.com

Originally posted on espnW.com

Some women view sneakers as just another item to be tossed in the bottom of a gym bag. For WNBA stars Essence Carson, Alex Montgomery, Tina Charles and Cappie Pondexter, sneakers are a way of life. These self-proclaimed “sneakerheads” — collectors of high-end athletic footwear — seek out the finest rubber soles the world has to offer.

From Reebok to Nike to Louis Vuitton, these ladies consider sneakers an extension of their personality. With more than 200 pairs of sneakers combined, they are bucking societal trends and putting sneakers first when it comes to finding the “it” shoe.

“It’s expected for guys to be into sneakers and have a collection,” said Carson, the New York Liberty’s All-Star forward. “But when you’re a girl who collects sneakers, and you know your stuff and you look good in them, you have the best of both worlds.”

And the manufacturers are paying attention. Companies such as Jordan fuel the sneaker-collecting nation by releasing limited editions, prompting a frenzy for the coveted and unique shoe lines. In the summer of 2011, collectors waited in line at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Wrentham, Mass., for up to 10 hours just to grab a pair of the limited-edition Air Jordan 1 “Banned” sneakers.

“It’s hard work to be a sneakerhead,” said Montgomery, who also plays for the Liberty. “You have to save a lot of money to get the things that you want. When they come out, you have to make sure you are the first to sport them.”

Montgomery has 55 pairs of sneakers, the stacks of boxes flowing out of her closet and into her living room. She says her favorite pair are the Nike Air Max 2011, a versitile running sneaker that comes in a variety of colors with the classic air bubble through the length of the shoe.

“They’re comfortable, fit my style and match all my basketball shorts,” Montgomery said.

Carson, also a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, has lost track of her collection.

“I have boxes stacked up on top of bins and bags,” she said. “My favorites are the Jordans and Nikes.”

Carson loves Nikes and Jordans because she feels the sneaker craze orignated with these brands.

Female sneakerheads are often overlooked by athletic-shoe companies, which cater mostly to men’s sizes. When collector’s items are released, women are forced to purchase children’s or men’s versions because of the limited availablity in women’s sizes.

“When I was younger I had big feet and couldn’t find Jordans in my size so I had to pay the adult price, which was about $150,” said Carson, who wears a size 12.

Along with quantity and quality, price is another major factor that separates the average sneaker wearer from a sneaker connoisseur. Sneakerheads spend large sums of money to grab the most sought-after pairs.

Two-time WNBA champion Pondexter recently spent $500 on a custom pair of NikeiD sneakers. She was surpassed by her teammate Carson, who owns a $700 pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers. At these prices, it isn’t uncommon for one pair of shoes to cost about 1 percent of the average WNBA salary. Whether the price is worth it comes down to personal perspective.

Connecticut Sun All-Star Tina Charles summed up the reason behind the sneaker craze, citing individuality as the main motivation for purchasing expensive rubber-soled footwear. “How I carry myself with my sneakers on makes me unique,” she said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

originally posted on espnW.com

From London to the Lower East Side, Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem is known as the mecca of street basketball. Although Rucker Park is world-renowned for the NBA players it hosts (like the Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Lakers’ Kobe Bryant), each summer streetballing women with deadly crossovers participate in the historic Entertainer’s Basketball Classic.

The EBC originated in 1980 in Mount Morris Park in east-central Harlem and consisted of two rival male rap groups, Disco Four and Crash. In 1985, EBC found its permanent home in Rucker Park at 155th Street and Fredrick Douglass Boulevard, where it has played host to basketball icons such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.

From professional athletes to financial secretaries to a mother and her kids on the sideline, you can see players from all walks of life at the Rucker.

Allison Glover, 33, former Fairfield University power forward turned executive assistant, grabs rebounds in the paint while her husband and 4-year-old daughter, Brianna, blow kisses from the bleachers during timeouts.

“By playing at the Rucker, I’m laying a foundation for my daughter to let her know she can do anything she wants in a male-dominated society,” Glover said. “If Mommy can do it, so can she.”

Her husband, Brandon Glover, added, “Having me in the stands is different from the norm but I’m fine with that. I’m cheering on my wife while she plays at the famous Rucker Park. It doesn’t get any better.”

For the past decade, at least once a week — Tuesday and Thursday this season — is ladies’ night at Rucker Park. New York’s finest female ballers hit the court to amaze below the rim. This year’s six-team women’s tournament in the EBC will culminate with a championship game in the third week of August.

WNBA players Kia Vaughn, Teresa Weatherspoon and Epiphanny Prince have made cameos in this concrete coliseum.

“Being from New York, I played a couple of AAU tournaments there growing up,” said Vaughn, a center for the New York Liberty. “The legend of Rucker Park is that the greatest ballers play there. It must be true since I was there.”

Although it’s called ladies’ night, there’s nothing dainty about the weekly showdown between these roundball warriors.

“The game is very aggressive,” said Yolanda Rousse, who plays for the team Black Pearl. “We are banging bodies down low. You have to go hard to get to the rack. You leave with battle wounds.”

One member of Black Pearl showed off a bloody thumbnail while others boasted of scrapes and bruises.

Rousse added: “We’re ballers. That’s what we do. We show up to play.”