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The elite group of current NBA players who are Nike athletes and have their own signature sneaker lines include LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker and Ja Morant. An argument could be made that none of these future Hall of Famers are wearing the best Nike signature sneakers on the market right now. The current holder of the heavyweight belt is likely New York Liberty shooter Sabrina Ionescu.
Ionescu took the basketball world by storm during her collegiate career, embracing one of the greatest amateur careers of all time. She was the first player in NCAA history to record 2,000+ points, 1,000+ rebounds and 1,000+ assists, broke the NCAA triple-double record and the Pac-12 (RIP) career assist record. These are just a few of her many accomplishments at Phil Knight’s pride and joy, the University of Oregon.
Sabrina has been great for so long, it’s scary to think she’s only just now hitting her prime. She’s proven herself worthy of any conversation about great athletes, male or female. After setting an all-time WNBA All-Star Weekend three-point contest record in 2023, her head-to-head performance against Stephen Curry at this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend further cemented that.
Ionescu fell just three points short of Curry in the first-ever NBA-WNBA Three-Point Contest, but it didn’t take a blind man to see that Ionescu was right where she belonged, front and center on the basketball court, under the brightest lights, representing both the group of women who have already gotten there and the group of girls who are on their way.
“This is the first event of its kind and I know what it means to be here and put on a show,” Ionescu said. “I’m excited to change the narrative and do it with some of the greatest players of all time.”
It wasn’t just Ionescu’s beautiful strokes that dazzled the crowd, but her shoes, too. She wore the Nike Sabrina 1 in a beautiful Liberty color scheme.
Ionescu has spoken several times about the idea that Sabrina I embodies a story of rebellion against those who doubted her ability to play basketball, let alone play with boys, while growing up.
Well, she defied that, and with the Sabrina 1, Nike and Ionescu laid the foundation for a gold mine of a signature line for her that quickly became one of the most popular on-court choices among the basketball community.
“It’s not a women’s shoe, it’s not a men’s shoe, it’s just a basketball shoe,” Ionescu told ESPN earlier this year about the Sabrina 1. “I think now is the time to push it, to tell that story and have people really embrace it and respect it.”
Wherever you look, whether it’s high school, college, the WNBA, the NBA or your local basketball gym, you’re sure to see players wearing the Sabrina 1 in a variety of colors. The model was the fifth most used sneaker of the 2023-24 NBA season, with players playing a total of 17,209 minutes in the silhouette.
If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Ionescu and Nike are taking it back and making it even better.
Sabrina and the Swoosh launched Ionescu’s second sneaker, the Nike Sabrina 2, alongside an apparel collection this June, and rather than completely overhauling the design, they based it on the first silhouette, maintaining a similar shape, cut and cushioning.
“At the center of the collection is the Sabrina 2 signature sneaker, built for players who want to accelerate and cut quickly,” the brand said. “Nike’s design team worked closely with Sabrina to combine the best of the Sabrina 1 with modern upgrades to create a sneaker that’s 28 grams lighter but doesn’t sacrifice support, stability or comfort.”
These “latest upgrades” include a Cushion 3.0 foam midsole (a first for a Nike basketball sneaker), a Nike Zoom Air unit in the forefoot, an improved midfoot band system and a new “S”-inspired pattern that provides multi-directional traction for quick cuts. Additionally, select colorways feature a mirrored Swoosh, which Nike describes as “Sabrina’s commitment to the next generation to see themselves in the shoes.”
One look at the Sabrina 2, or even the Sabrina 1, and it’s clear where Ionescu’s inspiration comes from: Her signature line of two sneakers has drawn early comparisons to Kobe Bryant’s.
Kobe was Ionescu’s go-to sneaker throughout her stellar collegiate career and her early years at the Liberty. That Ionescu’s quote is spoken of alongside Beane’s speaks to the WNBA All-Star’s cultural appeal, but more importantly, her ability and desire to lead the effort to elevate women’s soccer to the national and ultimately global mainstream — a vision she and Kobe shared.
Ionescu first met Kobe in 2019 when he and his daughter Gigi came to watch Kobe’s Ducks beat the USC Trojans. Ionescu quickly became close with the Bryant family after that. Kobe watched her throughout the season, often offering words of encouragement as she continued to make history. That summer, Ionescu trained with Gigi and even helped coach Kobe’s girls team, which Gigi played on.
“If I represent the present of women’s basketball, Gigi is the future, and Kobe knew that,” Ionescu said at a memorial for Kobe and Gigi in 2020.
More than four years later, Ionescu still represents the present. And at just 26, she represents the future. Think Kobe in the purple and gold, wearing the No. 8.
“I grew up watching Kobe Bryant’s games and his rings over and over and experiencing his greatness without any apology,” she recalled. “I wanted to be just like him. Loving every bit of it, showing up first and leaving last, loving the effort, doing your best when you’re not your best, wanting to bring the best out of those around you, and then waking up the next day and doing it all again. So I did. Wake up, work hard, and get better. Wake up, work hard, and get better.”
Watch Ionescu walk through the tunnel before a game, scroll through her Instagram feed or observe her demeanor during an interview, and you’ll see a magnetic personality that makes you want to be around her. But beneath that lies a fiercely competitive spirit that approaches her craft with the utmost seriousness and focus, and a laundry list of accomplishments.
As of this writing during the Olympic break, the New York Liberty are in great form, having the best record in the W-League by a wide margin, and Ionescu is averaging career-best numbers, 19.8 points, 6.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1 steal in 33.7 minutes per game.
While Ionescu’s influence on the court is undeniable, her influence off it is just as strong. Following on from the Sabrina 1 and now the latest release of the Sabrina 2, she continues to push boundaries and make waves in the following ranks, including fellow Nike signature athletes A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, both of whom are reportedly set to release their first signature sneakers soon.
Ionescu is programmed for greatness, all she needs to do is continue to be confident and unashamed about who she is and what she brings to the table, just like Kobe.
Ionescu is a blessing to the basketball world and, like Kobe, her presence will last far beyond her playing days.
Once, in college, she says, Kobe texted her: “Be yourself. You have been enough and you will always be enough.” He wasn’t lying.
“I wanted to be part of a generation that changed basketball for Gigi and her teammates,” Ionescu said in her eulogy, “a generation that wasn’t born later because they were born female, and that greatness wasn’t divided by gender.”
From her consistently dominant play to the breakout success of Sabrina 1 and 2, it seems there is no height Ionescu can’t reach. For those of you younger than you who weren’t able to watch Kobe in real time, be sure to tune in to see Ionescu, one of his closest protégés, thoroughly analyze your opponents with her indomitable determination.
And in her new Sabrina 2, she’ll do just that.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images and Nike.
