WASHINGTON — Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, 28, has become the first woman to ink a shoe deal with Converse, along with being part of protests and discussion in the District over police brutality in the black community.
“The biggest thing is for me to use my platform as a microphone," Cloud said in a Twitter post that was shared by Converse, who welcomed her to the brand. "That’s the goal, be a voice for the voiceless."
Cloud posted a picture of herself at protests in Philadephia onTwitter. She had a sign, captioning the post with "Your silence is like a knee to my neck." It referred to George Floyd's death by a police officer in Minneapolis when he used his knee to hold down the man for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Over the last week, Cloud has been very active on social media and supportive of the movement capturing a nation amid Floyd's death.
She has also been part of podcasts and live streams talking about issues involving minorities and police brutality in the United States toward the black community.
“We need to meet this moment with accountability, and solidarity, and leadership,” Cloud said about bringing reform to police departments and stoping systemic racism.
The Washington Mystics guard was a huge part of the success of Washington winning the WNBA championship in 2019 and has been with the team since entering the league in 2015.
Cloud played at both the University of Maryland and St. Joseph's University while in college.
For the Mystics in 2019, she averaged 9 points, 1 steal and five assists, according to Basketball-reference.com.