“Jordan Brand, Kobes”: Olympic Gold Medalist Megan Rapinoe Raves About Sabrina Ionescu’s Nike Signature Shoe Success

In the ever-evolving world of sports apparel, Sabrina Ionescu and Nike collaborated last year to release the Liberty Guard’s first signature shoe. Sabrina 1 also became the first unisex shoe Nike created for a women’s basketball player. Considering the thought and time Sabrina and Nike spent on the kicks ensured its success not only among casual players but also caught the attention of NBA stars, who wore them plenty last season.

Building on this momentum, Ionescu’s second signature shoe, the Sabrina 2, was released this year and became the second-most-worn shoe in the league this season. This topic found its way to the ‘A Touch More’ podcast, where Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe discussed how influential Ionescu is slowly becoming in the sneaker world.

They believed that Nike’s marketing strategy for Ionescu’s shoes was inspired by their approach to Kobe and Jordan.  The former USWNT Soccer captain said,

“But this is such proof, first of all, Nike has been knowing how to do this the whole time. This is Nike. This is Jordan brand, this is Kobe, this is Just Do It. This is literally their bread and butter. What I’m so excited about is that they applied this to a woman, and to a sneaker, and this strategy.”

The couple spoke about how Sabrina’s shoes share similarities with Kobe Bryant’s signature line, which is part of what makes them so popular. Bird added that she could attest to the comfort level of the shoes after wearing them herself.

Rapinoe believes that the success of the shoe could help women’s basketball in many ways. It’s because two more WNBA players, A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, have signed deals with the Oregon-based brand for signature shoes in the coming year.

“This is obviously a really successful shoe, she’s a really successful player. They’ll continue to invest in that, which is basically investing in her. I love that she’s probably making back from this, but like continuing to invest in women’s basketball in this way, and they’re gonna have obviously more shoes coming.”

What added to the huge boost in the popularity of Sabrina’s shoes was the widespread visibility that they got. NBA players have supported them since the day they dropped, and many have gone on record to praise Nike’s design and how well the shoes fit them.

Sabrina Ionescu’s shoes were a hit off the bat

According to Boardroom’s Nick DePaula, Ionescu’s ‘Sabrina 2’ is currently the most worn new shoe in the league and the second most overall. It is just behind the iconic Kobe 6. As of 5th December, the Liberty sharpshooter has seen her shoes amass nearly 8k minutes played in.

But it’s nothing new for Ionescu. Her ‘Sabrina 1’ was also a tremendous hit, with NBA players like Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson all spotted in them last season. Holiday wore them the most out of any NBA player in the 2023-24 campaign, shooting a career-best 42.9% from three. He jokingly attributed his success to the shoes.

“Maybe that’s part of the reason why I’m shooting so well,” he told ESPN.

The initial release of the ‘Sabrina 1’ and the subsequent ‘Sabrina 2’ highlight Nike’s commitment to blending fashion and performance. It worked out well for them. Fans now have every reason to be excited about A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark’s signature shoes coming out next year!