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Tim McMahon, ESPN Staff Writer
Sabrina Ionescu could not Waiting for the NBA season to start. Specifically, the WNBA All-Star was scheduled to attend the Boston Celtics' season opener and was filled with excitement about Jrue Holiday's debut with his new franchise.
Ionescu, a 26-year-old sharpshooter who grew up in the Bay Area and stars for the New York Liberty, is not a Celtics fan and has never met Holiday. But she has a personal connection to the two-time All-Star guard. Holiday was the first NBA player to wear Nike's signature shoe, the Sabrina 1s, during a game.
Holiday wore the Sabrina 1 during media days and preseason games, but Holiday was seen wearing the player-exclusive white, black, and blue colorway at Boston's October 17 game against the New York Knicks. It was a breakthrough moment for Ionescu.
“I don't think I even watched the game,” Ionescu told ESPN. “I was really looking at his feet.”
Holiday, who is shooting a career-best 43.5 percent from 3-point range, has worn the Sabrina 1 in 53 games this season, the most of any player in the league. “That's probably part of the reason my shot is so good,” he told ESPN.
According to on-court sneaker tracker kixstats.com, 77 NBA players wore the Sabrina 1 for Holiday throughout the 2023-24 season. Holiday chose to wear the Sabrina 1 primarily because she thought it was a “cool” way to show her support for women's sports, but it was especially meaningful to the husband of soccer Hall of Famer Lauren Holiday. Several players said that was the case. According to ESPN, they did not take gender into consideration when taking the court.
That was the goal when Ionescu and Nike first teamed up for her debut sneaker, released in September. And with players praising its look, familiar feel and functionality, the Sabrina 1 has become a popular item in lockers around the league, second only to Nike staples like Kobe and LeBron.
“It's not a women's basketball shoe or a men's basketball shoe, it's just basketball,” Ionescu said of the Sabrina 1.
“I think now is the time in terms of wanting to push that because we can tell that story and have people really embrace it and respect it.”
a dozen players Many players have signed signature shoe deals throughout the WNBA's 27-year history, starting with Sheryl Swoopes' seven-year Nike contract that began in 1995. Rebecca Lobo (Reebok), Nikki McCray (Fila), Candace Parker (Adidas) and Brianna Stewart (Puma) followed. Elena Delle Donne, who has a contract with Nike, joins Stewart and Ionescu as active WNBA players with a signature shoe deal.
No player has crossed over to the NBA like Ionescu's Nike.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson wore a white and orange colorway and scored a then-career-high 50 points on December 15th. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton sports a cornucopia of custom colorways in red, orange, green and yellow. His right shoe has black, red and blue on the left, a style suited to the Pacers' 157-152 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 21.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham wore a simpler customized version — all white, right The left shoe has a red Swoosh and a blue Swoosh above.
And Sabrina 1 is building its reach beyond the NBA and WNBA courts. They have been regularly spotted at the men's and women's NCAA tournaments this season. Ionescu personally gifted pairs this week to superstar Caitlin Clark and her Iowa teammates, who likely have signature shoe deals of their own, ahead of the Hawkeyes' Final Four appearance.
Sneakers are also expanding overseas. American-born Fenerbahce forward Nigel Hayes-Davies wore the shoes and broke the EuroLeague single-game scoring record with 50 points on March 29.
The shoe features a vertically sloping Swoosh on the arched side of the foot, representing Ionescu breaking through the barriers she's accustomed to.
She became the first player in NCAA history, male or female, to score 2,000 points and total 1,000 rebounds and assists in a career. Last season, she broke Diana Taurasi's 17-year-old WNBA record for most 3-pointers in a season. And most recently, she competed in a 3-point duel with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry during February's NBA All-Star Weekend.
“Next year will be the W's most successful yet,” Halliburton, who sponsors the women's elite youth basketball program in his home state of Wisconsin, told ESPN. “As allies of those players and the entire league, I think we should do our part to show love in any way we can.”
And for Haliburton and the rest of the league, it doesn't hurt that Ionescu's debut sneaker reminds them of one of the most popular and coveted signature shoes in league history.
“I don't remember. I've never seen a woman's shoe pop this much,” Halliburton said.
many nba players Those who have been wearing the Sabrina 1 frequently this season have compared it to another athlete's signature Nike shoe, Kobe Bryant's.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson told ESPN, “The silhouette and feel of the shoe is similar to the old Kobe.” “They are very comfortable to wear. The design is also nice.”
Dallas Mavericks rookie center Derek Lively II told ESPN, “They remind me of Kobey, but at the same time, she has her own twist.”
The resemblance is no coincidence. Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft from Oregon State, wore Bryant's Kobe Vs for most of his professional games before getting his own signature shoe. Ionescu worked closely with Nike designers during the development process, incorporating Kobe's favorite elements.
“It was really important to us to take that inspiration and insight from her favorites and deliver it in a way that was very Sabrina-esque,” Deepa Ramprasad, Nike's footwear product director, told ESPN. Ta. “I think that kind of pedigree was completely intentional at the beginning of the shoe, and I believe we were able to offer her something very unique.”
The shoe pays aesthetic homage to Ionescu's heritage, with intricate embroidery on the front and eyelets inspired by Romanian art and architecture.
“I think it's one of the best shoes in the league as far as looks,” Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun told ESPN. Brown incorporates them into his game rotation along with Kobe.
While the fashion aspects are important, and so are the personal touches, like the stylized “S” in a circle on the tongue and the lowercase “i” on the heel, which is also her signature, Ionescu is proud of her features. We are most proud of our quality. Signature shoes.
“I think what was really important for me was understanding what is helping me on the court,” Ionescu said. “I played for Kobe professionally, but in college I was actually at Hyperdunk and wore the signature shoe for just about every player, so I knew what I needed from a performance standpoint. I was able to really see what I wanted and the freedom to create it.''The performance shoe I was looking for was really, really exciting. ”
Ionescu highlighted the desire to maximize speed while reducing fatigue as the shoe's top priority, and Ramprasad likened the combination to “trying to combine oil and vinegar.”
Looking at their testimonials from the number of NBA players who wear them, Nike and Ionescu have made it a success. Players rave about the lightweight yet cushioned and smooth Sabrina 1.
“It's a great all-around comfortable shoe,” Nuggets shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told ESPN. “Aside from the grip and everything, it’s definitely a great shoe.”
Nike sells 9 shoes In addition to Sabrina 1's standard colors, we also offer customization options. It unleashed a bit of nostalgia for some players.
“When we were all in middle school, we were definitely making Kobes and LeBrons. Shoes that we would never buy, but we would always make on the computer,” said the two-tone pink Sabrina 1. Halliburton said. Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
“So that’s pretty cool. [with] Sabrinas, you are capable of doing that. … I see people making their own pieces and numbering them. It takes us back to childhood. ”
Nuggets rookie Julian Stroller has created seven or eight customized colorways.
“They came out on fire,” Stroller told ESPN. “She put out a heater in her first shoe, so I had to get on it.”
Clarkson said she recognizes how Sabrina 1's influence can help someone like her daughter, estimating she has created at least 15 unique colorways and has “a locker full of them.” he said.
A key factor in Sabrina 1's popularity throughout the NBA is fashion. It's also a reflection of the tremendous respect her NBA players have for the women's game, which has seen significant growth, largely due to the emergence of marketable stars in the WNBA and NCAA. there is.
But ultimately, NBA players appreciate a good pair of basketball shoes.
“It's funny when people say, 'Why are you wearing girls' shoes?'” Lively said. “I'm like, 'Why not?'”
ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
