{"id":135228,"date":"2026-05-08T08:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/?p=135228"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:26:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T23:26:34","slug":"dunkman-founded-by-shaquille-oneal-provides-gear-and-uniforms-for-the-upshot-league-ahead-of-inaugural-season-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/dunkman-founded-by-shaquille-oneal-provides-gear-and-uniforms-for-the-upshot-league-ahead-of-inaugural-season-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"DUNKMAN, founded by Shaquille O&#8217;Neal Provides Gear and Uniforms for the UPSHOT League Ahead of Inaugural Season Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 8, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) &#8212; Dunkman, the apparel and brand platform founded by basketball icon Shaquille O\u2019Neal, has designed and delivered a new generation of uniforms for the UPSHOT League as the league prepares for its inaugural season tipping off May 15.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The UPSHOT League\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600-200x150.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/><em>Image caption: The UPSHOT League.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Through this partnership, Dunkman\u2019s supply of all on-court uniforms, shoes and gear bring a bold, modern aesthetic and performance-driven innovation to a league built around expanding access and opportunity for elite women\u2019s basketball players.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about time women\u2019s basketball is being recognized,\u201d said O\u2019Neal. \u201cI\u2019m a big fan\u2014these players can really play. There are more great players than there are opportunities, and the UPSHOT League, which tips off on the 15th, is creating those opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The UPSHOT League enters the market at a pivotal moment for the sport, with rising fan engagement and a deep talent pipeline seeking additional professional platforms. The partnership with Dunkman underscores a shared commitment to elevating the visibility, professionalism, and cultural impact of the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen\u2019s basketball is in an era of celebration with the advocates and allies who are joining the fold,\u201d said Donna Orender, Co-Founder and Commissioner of the UPSHOT League. \u201cThe UPSHOT League is rooted in opportunity\u2014opportunity for players, coaches, markets, and partners to grow the game in new ways. It\u2019s energy-infusing to feel all of basketball and all basketball fans lean into that spirit. Partnerships like this with Dunkman help bring that vision to life in real ways on and off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dunkman\u2019s involvement extends beyond uniforms, aligning with the league\u2019s broader mission to create a dynamic, culturally relevant platform that resonates with both traditional basketball audiences and new fans alike.<\/p>\n<p>The UPSHOT League\u2019s inaugural season tips off May 15, 2026, with teams in Jacksonville (Waves), Charlotte (Crown), Savannah (Steel) and Greensboro (Groove). Expansion teams for next season have already been announced in Baltimore and Nashville.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ABOUT THE UPSHOT LEAGUE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The UPSHOT League, co-founded by Donna Orender and Zawyer Sports CEO, Andy Kaufmann, is a premier women\u2019s professional basketball league built on elite competition, player opportunity, and community connection. With a foundation rooted in high-level talent and global experience, the league aims to redefine the professional landscape while expanding opportunities for women\u2019s basketball in the United States. <a href=\"https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/\">https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MEDIA CONTACT:<br \/>\nLeslieAnne Wade<br \/>\n(917) 751-7693<br \/>\nUpshot@UpshotLeague.com<\/p>\n<p>LOGO: <a href=\"https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/UPSHOT_LOGO.png\">https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/UPSHOT_LOGO.png<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>No celebrity endorsement claimed or implied.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 8, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) &#8212; Dunkman, the apparel and brand platform founded by basketball icon Shaquille O&#8217;Neal, has designed and delivered a new generation of uniforms for the UPSHOT League as the league prepares for its inaugural season tipping off May 15. The UPSHOT League enters the market at a pivotal moment for the sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10216,"featured_media":133880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[611,12804,1,14,19632,30,956],"tags":[7408],"class_list":["post-135228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-news","category-ap","category-business-news","category-florida-news","category-jacksonville-business","category-sports-news","category-womens-interest","tag-women-in-sports","has-post-title","has-post-date","no-post-category","no-post-tag","no-post-comment","has-post-author"],"acf":[],"views":237,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135228"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135234,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135228\/revisions\/135234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}