Maya Moore becomes first woman on Jordan Brand’s roster

The most intriguing question in the wake of Maya Moore signing a landmark endorsement deal with Nike's Jordan Brand on Wednesday is whether she can be the transcendent star that women's professional basketball so badly needs.

Will she simply be an elite player in a niche sport? Or can she elevate an entire league the way the Jordan Brand's namesake once did for the NBA?

Moore may share a jersey number and a Nike swoosh with Michael Jordan, but history suggests it would be wise to wait a few years before making such pronouncements.

Expectations were similar for former collegiate stars Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker when they entered the WNBA and signed prominent endorsements with the likes of Nike, Adidas and Gatorade. Taurasi has led the WNBA in scoring four times and Parker is a former league MVP, yet apathy toward the league is pervasive enough that it's possible to argue both were bigger stars in college than today.

"For whatever reason, the college game for women seems to be more successful and appealing to casual fans," said sports marketing analyst Bob Dorfman of Baker Street Advertising in San Francisco. "I don't know if it's the tradition of teams like UConn, Tennessee and Stanford and the rivalries they have, but when star players get to the pros they just seem to be ignored. They get swallowed up and tend to disappear."

The hope that Moore can avoid that same fate stems from her affable personality and championship pedigree. The three-time college player of the year captured two national titles at UConn and spearheaded the Huskies' record-setting 90-game win streak before graduating this spring and being selected No. 1 overall by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.

Whereas Adidas and Nike don't appear to have thrown much money or advertising punch behind Parker and Taurasi, there's reason to believe that Moore becoming the first woman to sign with the Jordan Brand will be more significant. The Jordan Brand has increased its production of women's shoes in recent years and the addition of Moore could signal that more women's shoes and apparel are on the way.

"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," Moore said in a statement. "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."

Does Moore have the appeal to break through the advertising clutter in a way that her predecessors have not? Dorfman thinks it will be difficult but not impossible.

"She's the type of player that can dominate a game, she has a good personality and she can sell a product," he said. "It will be a challenge to see if she can avoid suffering the same fate as players like Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker who entered the league with a lot of hoopla and just became another star but not one who's bigger than the sport."

Nikki Cox Carla Gugino Ana Hickmann Mischa Barton Jamie Lynn Sigler