Alexis Morris is standing in the middle of history. The Harlem Globetrotters guard is now known as “The First Lady of AND1,” after inking a deal with the long-time sports streetwear apparel brand.
The one constant in Morris’ career is her perseverance. In college, she overcame the adversity of playing for four different programs through six seasons. Through it all, and while most of the attention went to branding giants Flau’jae Johnson and Angel Reese, Morris was the second-leading scorer on the NCAA-champion LSU Tigers. As a young professional, Morris faced more obstacles. After being selected in the 2023 WNBA Draft in the second round by the Connecticut Sun, Morris was cut before the season began. The guard went on to play briefly in France, Turkey and Romania before signing with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Still, through it all, in a time where a discussion about the promotion of Black players in women’s basketball vs. White players is being had and looking outside of the league, Morris has come out of it all with a deal with AND1. After the deal was announced, Morris spoke to rolling out about her career and the perception of Black women in professional basketball.
What is it like to be the first woman to sign a deal with AND1?
I’m honored.
I’m super grateful for the opportunity to represent women, especially young Black women.
I think a lot of this came from the LSU run. We had an amazing run at LSU, and I want to continue to build off that [momentum] for my career. I want to bring that same swag to the AND1 brand.
AND1 isn’t just a brand, we’re a movement as well. We’re trying to bring that new swag and flavor to women’s basketball, trying to bring it over to AND1.
It was something I was super grateful for [signing a shoe deal]. It was a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to have a shoe deal, I think that’s pretty much every hooper’s dream is to have a shoe deal.
I’ve accomplished that, and I’m super grateful for it.
How important do you think it was that AND1 not only showed love to a women’s basketball star, but also a Black one?
I think what makes us different is AND1 has always been about the culture. That’s what makes AND1 who we are. Nike is Nike, and we love Nike. We love all these other brands but we’re in tune with our community, culture and Black business here at AND1.
We welcome all. Everyone’s welcome here at AND1, but that’s something that we focus on … I don’t think we should keep continuing to include race and racism, even though it is prominent in women’s basketball. We should look at the overall bigger picture of women’s basketball players getting shoe deals now … we need to continue to shine a light on the history being made now and keep race out of it, like, “Caitlin Clark got a shoe before A’ja Wilson.” Naw. I think we’re all getting some love and bringing attention to the game. That’s how it should be viewed.
What was your first season with the Harlem Globetrotters like?
I thought I’d been to a lot of places until I went on tour with the ‘Trotters … I appreciate the ‘Trotters for giving me that experience. The connections and relationships I’ve built, some of these people I’ve only known for months, but I know I’ve built some lifetime friendships there.
There were also some great veterans. It was eye-opening and allowed me to see basketball from a different perspective from the entertainment and showcase side of things adding personality to my game. It’s OK not to be so serious on the floor and have fun with it.
