Athleta Signs Lexie Hull And Kate Martin As Brand Ambassadors
Coming off of record-setting 2024 – where 18.9 million tuned into the NCAA women’s basketball championship and the WNBA had its highest fandom in over 20 years – women’s basketball is poised for incredible growth in 2025, and brands are taking notice. Athleta, which is a leading women’s performance activewear brand, is leaning into the explosive growth of women’s basketball by adding Unrivaled and WNBA stars Kate Martin and Lexie Hull to their roster of athletes.
Martin and Hull are joining Athleta’s Power of She Collective, which the brand started in 2023 to further build on its mission of inspiring women and girls through movement. Martin and Hull are joining Athleta’s roster of athletes that include Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Natalie Coughlin, Brenna Huckaby, Monique Billings, and more.
“I’ve just admired Athleta for a really long time,” said Martin.
“I feel really grateful to be partnering with them and be aligned with a brand that has the same values as I do.”
As part of the partnership, Athleta will hear feedback from Hull and Martin on product innovations as the brand continues to design products “for women by women”, ensuring that products integrate best-in-class performance and technical features while centering inclusivity.
“It makes me feel like a big part of Athleta,” said Martin. “My voice matters and that’s what they’re all about is empowering women and uplifting voices.” Martin went on to say, “I think that you’re seeing that [women’s apparel] doesn’t just have to mimic the men’s stuff. Women have a different build, women have different wants and needs out of clothing or apparel – whatever it may be – and so the fact that I get to test out products and give my feedback is something super special.”
To kick-off their work together and align with the inaugural Unrivaled season, Athleta invited local youth from the Greater Miami chapter of Girls Inc. to see Hull and Martin face-off in an Unrivaled match. The apparel brand also made a donation to Girls Inc. which will fund free high quality after school and summer programs for girls in low-income communities in Miami and support the non-profit’s work offering programming and mentorship to help girls overcome unique challenges and develop into strong, confident global leaders.
“At Athleta, we’re committed not only to delivering innovative products for women but also to fostering a community built on the belief that powerful women move women forward,” said Chris Blakeslee, CEO of Athleta. “Lexie and Kate are not only exceptional athletes but also remarkable women, and as a brand that champions the whole athlete, we’re proud to welcome them to our Power of She Collective.”
Athleta’s investment into women’s basketball comes at a time when the popularity of women’s basketball is at an all-time high. In 2024, the WNBA’s average viewership across the entire season was 1.2 million viewers (up 155% from 2023), making it the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms ever.
Unrivaled has also had a strong start to the league’s inaugural season, with viewership numbers for the opening game peaking at 364,000 viewers on TNT. Like Athleta, brands are taking notice, and sponsoring women’s sports and women athletes at record rates. In 2024 alone, the number of brand sponsorships in women’s professional sports leagues teams and athletes increased by 22%.
“I feel really grateful that I get to be in this moment and have the spotlight on women’s basketball that it has,” said Martin. “Now is the time to invest in women and invest in women’s sports. It’s never too late to join the party, but you might want to get on board now because things are soaring; things are going great in women’s basketball and women’s sports in general
