Paige Bueckers' Love of Shirley Temples Inspired This Gatorade x Nike Collab

In just a WNBA season-and-a-half, Paige Bueckers has cemented herself as a face of women's basketball at the highest level. Nike Basketball has been quick to bet big on the Minnesota-native, outfitting her in a handful of special-edition footwear. For its latest project, the Swoosh has teamed up with Gatorade to create a Shirley Temple-inspired G.T. Cut 4 for the Dallas Wings guard.

Bueckers has never been shy about sharing her love for the a classic, sweet, non-alcoholic drink, famously tweeting, "I know a Shirley Temple hate to see me coming," on X. Her love of the mocktail—which includes ginger ale, a splash of grenadine, and maraschino cherries—inspired Gatorade to create a custom flavor for the former UConn Husky, who signed an NIL deal with the sports drink manufacturer in November 2021. The Shirley Temple Gatorade never saw a public release, but it's possible that's going to change with the launch of the thematic G.T. Cut 4 Player-Exclusive (P.E.) for Bueckers.

The latest take on the Greater Than silhouette features an eye-catching "Laser Red/Action Red/Action Red/Lime Green" color scheme. Though attention-grabbing on its own, the hits of red particularly come to life thanks to the fizzy, ginger ale-informed graphic printed across the basketball shoe's upper. Furthermore, two cherries dangle on the spine, donning "P" and "5" elements that nod to Paige and her number 5 jersey number.

In June 2025, a month into Bueckers' rookie season in the WNBA, Gatorade surprised the Dallas Wings star with the limited GATORADE® THIRST QUENCHER "Shirley Temple" Flavor. The rookie told members of the media: "Shirley Temple is like my favorite drink of all time, so, they put it in a Gatorade flavor...pretty fire."

Nike Basketball has brought this piece of Bueckers to sneaker-form, adding to her growing list of meaningful P.E.s. As aforementioned, it's possible that "Paige's Favorite Flavor" sees a limited run to accompany the release of the Shirley Temple-inspired G.T. Cut 4.

Bueckers' drink-inspired Nike Basketball shoe releases via Nike.com on Thursday, Aug. 6, for $210. Gatorade is also launching two limited-edition Shirley Temple capsules that include:

• Shirley Temple Gatorade Thirst Quencher with featuring “P5” branding
• Co-branded Nike T-shirt showcasing a receipt-inspired “Buckets On Tap” graphic
• Custom towels

Download the House of Heat° app (iOS/Android) to stay on top of this and other drops scheduled for the remainder of 2026.