Sabrina Ionescu’s Nike signature shoe line has rapidly become one of the most popular ones in basketball, across both the NBA and the WNBA. All-Stars in the league have been spotted sporting her signature line, and Sabrina knows just how popular her shoes are. She even sent a set of custom colorways of her Sabrina 2s to Los Angeles Sparks’ rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker, at the request of guard Kelsey Plum.
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The act of sincere kindness and WNBA sisterhood has since gained widespread attention, including praise from NBA legend Kevin Garnett.
During the Sparks’ training camp, Plum, who left the Las Vegas Aces for the LA Sparks in free agency, noticed Barker was wearing an old, worn-out pair of Ionescu’s signature line. Recognizing the situation and, frankly, the job at hand, Plum reached out to Ionescu for help.
“I hit Sab up, and I’m like,’ Yo help my teammate, it’s a nightmare out here,’ and she was like, ‘I got you. What size does she wear?'” Plum then stated that Barker wore a size 10.5, which, luckily, is the same as Ionescu.
Ionescu responded quickly, sending over several different colorways of her recently released Nike Sabrina 2 sneakers to Plum for her rookie. In a video message posted to her Instagram stories, Plum expressed her genuine gratitude, saying, “Dog, she hooked up SA [Barker], come on baby, I’m hyped for you.”
NBA legend Kevin Garnett, known for his advocacy for the WNBA, took to Instagram himself to commend Ionescu’s gesture. He shared a message on his Instagram story, captioning the moment with just two words: “Real one.”
Fans online quickly drew a different conclusion. Why didn’t Plum, the face of Under Armour Breakthru 5, give Barker her own sneakers? The backlash led Plum to clarify the situation, stating that her rookie was prohibited from wearing Under Armour on the court. If she were, Plum would have lent a hand.
World-renowned sneaker journalist Nicholas Vlahos of Sole Retriever researched to help clarify the restriction. Under the current WNBA collective bargaining agreement, the rule is simple.
Only players with a ‘qualifying shoe deal’ are allowed to wear non-Nike boots during matches. That deal must be worth $5,000 or more, and the required paperwork must be submitted to the league seven days before training camp starts.
Even if Barker signed with Under Armour today, she would still be forced to wear Nike until next season. The policy is baffling, especially when you compare it to how the NBA handles footwear freedom.
NBA players not signed to a shoe deal frequently switch sneaker brands mid-season. There is no additional red tape, no seven-day forms, and certainly no minimum dollar value required. This has left many fans and players questioning why rookies like Barker do not have more autonomy in the WNBA.
