New York Liberty PG Sabrina Ionescu has become very popular in the hoops world over the past few years, especially after her three-point showdown against Stephen Curry during the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend. Thus, unsurprisingly, she is among the few WNBA athletes to have a signature shoe deal with Nike. In the recent game against Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever side, Ionescu decided to debut her second signature shoe, dubbed the “Sabrina 2s”, following the success of the previous edition.
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The purple-colored theme of the shoes blends in well with the lovely throwback design patterns, which give them a classic look. Nike has labeled the shoe as Sabrina 2 “Court Vision”, claiming that these are perfect for Point Guards.
As per the popular brand, its “newest Cushlom foam keeps you fresh, Air Zoom cushioning adds the pop, and sticky traction helps you create that next-level distance.”
The shoe is expected to retail at $130 and can replicate the success of the Sabrina 1s. The Sabrina 1s retailed at $110 and made a huge impression in the sneaker market.
Sabrina Ionescu arrives with her Nike Sabrina 2s and will debut her second signature shoe today.
Watch the Liberty vs Fever game at 1 EST on ABC pic.twitter.com/WZNvPnlnzX
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) May 18, 2024
Sneaker expert Ben Felderstein ranked these sneakers at #2 in Complex’s Best Signature Shoes list. Felderstein pointed out how renowned NBA athletes Jrue Holiday and Tyrese Haliburton rocked these shoes during the 2023-24 season, pointing out that the influence of these shoes has transcended the WNBA.
Boston Celtics PG Payton Pritchard also donned these shoes and hailed them for being the “most comfortable“. Thus, Sabrina 2s will be expected to make a similar impact in the market, which will further open the floodgates for future WNBA stars. After all, It is rare for a WNBA athlete to have a signature shoe and even rarer for them to find success like the Sabrina 1s.
WNBA athletes have just started to tap in the shoe market
The WNBA has existed for around three decades, but only 12 of its athletes have landed a signature shoe deal thus far. 4x WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes was the first woman to land a signature shoe deal, when Nike signed her in 1995, two years before her WNBA debut.
Meanwhile, Dawn Staley, Nikki McCray, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, and Chamique Holdsclaw got shoe deals around the late 1990s and early 2000s. Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, and Elena Della Donne acquired significant signature shoe deals in the subsequent periods. Breanna Stewart has the longest-running sneaker line among active players, thanks to the release of her Puma Stewie 1 shoes in 2022.
2x WNBA Finals MVP A’ja Wilson will receive her first signature shoe in 2025. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark has agreed to an 8-year, $28 million deal with Nike, but the release of her signature shoe is yet to be announced.
