INDIANAPOLIS — Engraved on the inner side of Sabrina Ionescu’s debut signature sneakers, the Sabrina 1, are two words written in capital letters: ANYONE, ANYWHERE.
The message serves as a reminder to herself and those who wear her shoes that dreams are limitless, no matter where someone comes from or what they look like. But even Ionescu, who once just dreamed of being the best player in her basketball-crazed family, wasn’t dreaming something this big.
She now is one of the best basketball players in the world, and her dominance on the hardwood with the New York Liberty has manifested into history on her feet. Ionescu’s signature sneakers are designed for men and women, marking the first time Nike has ever made a unisex shoe for one of its female basketball players.
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Ionescu’s sneakers have been a hit among her WNBA counterparts and the young girls who look up to them. They’ve become one of the most popular sneakers in the NBA, as well.
“It was obviously something that we targeted,” Ionescu said. “Going in, it was just understanding the versatility of the shoe and what it is that we were trying to accomplish.
“Bridging the gap between women’s and men’s sports, and being able to do that by creating a unisex line that was available for everyone, that was obviously the most important (aspect) to me while designing this shoe. But being able to see it come to life on court (is surreal).”
How popular are the shoes in the NBA? Stars like NBA champion Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics and 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons regularly sport the Sabrina 1.
Look who showed up to @sabrina_i20’s practice 👀
It’s goin’ down tomorrow night for Stephen vs Sabrina at 8pm/ET on TNT pic.twitter.com/qvRfHhv21z
— WNBA (@WNBA) February 16, 2024
“I’ve always liked her game,” Cunningham said. “But just to wear a shoe that’s not another player I’m competing against all of the time, I wanted to try it out. And when I tried it out, it was fire! They’re comfortable, they got grip, they got everything.”
Washington Wizards guard Landry Shamet, who used to play for the Brooklyn Nets and regularly watched Ionescu play at the Barclays Center, said he’s proud to wear Ionescu’s shoes and see her “influence on the game as a whole.” New York Jets running back Breece Hall even wore custom Sabrina 1 cleats during a game this past season.
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In a first-of-its-kind event Saturday night, Ionescu and her sneakers will take center stage during NBA All-Star Weekend as she squares off against Stephen Curry in a 3-point contest at Lucas Oil Stadium. Ionescu is the reigning WNBA 3-point contest winner after notching 37 points, the most ever in WNBA and NBA history. She only missed two shots. Curry is the ultimate challenger as the NBA’s all-time leader in made 3s and a two-time NBA 3-point contest champ.
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Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, a great shooter in his own right, will be on the call for TNT and can’t wait to see them go toe-to-toe.
“You’re talking to a guy who grew up in a household with the greatest women’s basketball player of all time,” Miller said, referring to his Hall of Fame sister, Cheryl. “I am all for this. … Sabrina is one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen, but she’s going against arguably the greatest shooter this game has ever seen. That’s what makes it so fantastic.”
When Ionescu first met Nike cofounder Phil Knight during a college recruiting visit to Oregon as a teenager, she never imagined that years later, she’d join the short list of female basketball players who’ve had their own signature shoe with the iconic brand. She reached that milestone last fall — joining Hall of Famers like Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie — and then she reached beyond it.
As Saturday’s Ionescu-Curry showdown approaches, Miller added that basketball “has no gender,” and it reminds him of when tennis legend Billie Jean King beat former No. 1 ranked men’s player Bobby Riggs in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match in 1973.
Ionescu drilled a WNBA-record 128 3-pointers last season. But to leave no room for debate, Ionescu said it was a “no-brainer” to join Curry and shoot from the NBA 3-point line, which is more than a foot farther (23 feet, 9 inches) than the WNBA 3-point line (22 feet, 1 3/4 inches).
“There’s so many emotions and so many things going on, but I understand that this could be an event that could happen from here on out because it was such a success,” Ionescu said. “Just knowing that I can be that one person that started the trend, to now being able to see so many other opportunities of that crossover, and just continuing to push for what’s right and knowing that there are so many young girls out there excited to watch.”
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Fittingly, Ionescu’s limitless mindset is reflected on her shoes. In addition to her signature “S” logo that appears on the tongue and sole, another example of Ionescu’s influence on the design is how the Nike swoosh is positioned on the inside back heel. The tail end points toward the sky to embody “this idea of breaking ceilings and breaking barriers,” according to Nike product director Deepa Ramprasad, who worked closely with Ionescu to help bring the signature shoe to life.
The Nike Sabrina 1 has completely taken over the NBA. Who’s got the best PE in the League? 🧵 pic.twitter.com/sooSR7GhLN
— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) February 2, 2024
Ramprasad said Ionescu was very hands-on at each stage of the design process, which began in 2019. Ionescu reviewed every decision, from the performance-related features to the overall messaging, and her meticulous approach resulted in a sneaker that she and Nike believe was made for everyone. That feeling has been validated by its organic crossover appeal from the WNBA to the NBA.
“From a values perspective, we believe it’s our mission and responsibility … of really growing the game,” Ramprasad said. “Growing the game through inclusivity, equity and creating space and creating platforms for all who love the sport. We’re all so passionate about the power that basketball has, and when I think about the significance of the Sabrina 1, that’s one of the biggest things that comes to mind, and that’s a testament to Sabrina.”
Aside from the WNBA Finals last summer, NBA All-Star Weekend arguably is the brightest spotlight Ionescu has been under since she received a signature sneaker. All eyes will be on her and Curry on Saturday, and she plans to leave her mark.
Curry appears to be the favorite to win the shootout among most NBA players, but the irony in some of them choosing Curry is that they’ve already chosen Ionescu for their feet — even if it took a couple times to get it right. Bucks guard TyTy Washington Jr. — who claimed to have “the second-best colorways after (Ionescu) herself” — and Wizards guard Corey Kispert said they had to reorder their Sabrina 1s since they’re listed with the women’s size first on Nike’s website instead of the men’s size, which led to their initial pairs being too small. Both players considered it a minor inconvenience.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons also wears the Sabrina 1. As a fellow Nike athlete who is represented by the same agency as Ionescu, Simons said he wasn’t nudged by anyone to wear Ionescu’s sneakers. Picking them was “an easy decision” simply because he likes them, which for Ionescu is one of the most gratifying parts of the Sabrina 1’s growing popularity.
“We didn’t ask anyone to wear the shoe or try the shoe,” Ionescu said. “It was their ask in wanting to wear the shoe. It’s something that I could’ve never dreamt of, being able to see it on TV almost every single night there’s an NBA game. There’s usually at least one person wearing them.
“There’s still a long way to go in bridging that gap, and we’re kind of just at the forefront of doing so. The tipping point is still to come.”
(Photos: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images, and Jeff Bottari / NBAE via Getty Images)
