USC Forward is First College Star to Join Team Skechers
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Skechers expands its basketball roster by signing University of Southern California forward Kiki Iriafen ahead of the 2025 WNBA draft. Expected to be a top draft pick in this year’s draft as she pursues a master’s degree at the USC Marshall School of Business, the elite athlete will play in Skechers Basketball footwear after entering the pros and appear in the performance brand’s global marketing campaigns.
“This partnership is about more than just basketball. Skechers understands who I am on and off the court and what I need to be at my best,” said Kiki Iriafen, who will play in the SKX NEXUS™. “I love that the brand is based in my hometown of L.A., and has the global reach to help me inspire and impact more female athletes worldwide to pursue their dreams. Skechers does comfort better than any other brand I’ve experienced, which gives me confidence to have them as my teammate as I enter into this next chapter of my life.”
“After two years on the court in the NBA and WNBA, it’s a big moment for Skechers Basketball to sign Kiki, our first college player, and embark on the journey with her as she begins her professional career,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “Kiki is a rising star with a bright future in the league. We look forward to supporting her from the draft through her first season and beyond. As the second woman on our basketball roster, she also furthers our mission to engage with female athletes around the world so that more players everywhere experience the signature Comfort That Performs of Skechers.”
Okikiola “Kiki” Iriafen gained national attention at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles where she set school records for points and rebounds and was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2021 and rated a five-star recruit by ESPN. Her collegiate career started at Stanford where she was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team by the media in 2022 and later earned Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year and All-Pac-12 Team in 2024. That year she also received the Katrina McClain Award, presented to the best power forward in NCAA women’s basketball. After earning an engineering degree from Stanford in 2024, Iriafen transferred to USC as a graduate student for her final year of college eligibility. She was recently named to the first team All-Big Ten ahead of the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament where USC entered as a #1 seed. Iriafen is averaging 18.6 PPG and 8.5 RPG for USC this season and will soon begin her pro career with the WNBA draft on April 14 in New York.
Perfect for players who desire a fast and responsive court-feel, the SKX NEXUS™ worn by Iriafen is a low-top court shoe designed for speed, stability and support. Offering exceptional comfort with resilient Skechers Move Foam™, every pair features a breathable mesh upper, lockdown ankle support in the heel, and Goodyear® rubber with a torsion-plate to amplify traction for quick cuts on the court. The style joins an innovative Skechers Basketball collection that includes the lightweight SKX Resagrip™ with advanced cushioning, the SKX Float™ for exceptional stability and control, and the SKX Reign™ that promotes elevation and intense traction.
Iriafen joins a Skechers roster that includes WNBA star Rickea Jackson, along with NBA stars Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Norman Powell, Jabari Walker, Josh Green, and Terance Mann. Additional elite athletes around the world competing in Skechers Performance footwear includes golfers Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooke Henderson; soccer players Harry Kane, Baris Alper Yilmaz and Mohammed Kudus; pickleball pros Tyson McGuffin and Catherine Parenteau; and baseball players Clayton Kershaw and Aaron Nola, among others.
Skechers Basketball footwear is available at skechersbasketball.com and select Skechers retail stores. Basketball fans can get behind-the-scenes access to Skechers Basketball product launches and more by following @skechersbasketball on Instagram and TikTok.
About Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company® based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through skechers.com and approximately 5,300 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 68,000 people and manufactures its products in 53 facilities in 20 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation, tariffs and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States, and the impact of wars, acts of war and other conflicts around the world; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2025. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Jennifer Clay
Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
[email protected]
