{"id":816075,"date":"2024-09-19T15:28:03","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T19:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=816075"},"modified":"2024-09-19T15:29:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T19:29:51","slug":"sabrina-2-kicks-27-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/kicks\/sabrina-2-kicks-27-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sequel: Uncovering the Inspiration Behind The Nike Sabrina 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story appears in SLAM KICKS 27. Get your copy here. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an elite group of current NBA players who are Nike athletes with signature sneaker lines: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker and Ja Morant. An argument can be made that none of those future Hall of Famers has the best Nike sig on the market at this exact moment. There\u2019s a strong case that Sabrina Ionescu, the New York Liberty sharpshooter, currently holds the heavyweight belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ionescu took the hoops world by storm in college and put together one of the best amateur careers ever. She was the first player in NCAA history with 2,000+ career points, 1,000+ career rebounds and 1,000+ career assists; she shattered the NCAA triple-double record; she broke the Pac-12 (RIP) all-time assist record\u2026and those are merely a handful of her many accomplishments while starring for Phil Knight\u2019s pride and joy, the University of Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sabrina\u2019s been killing shit for so long, and it\u2019s scary to think she\u2019s just now entering her prime. She\u2019s proved that she belongs in any conversation in which the greats, men or women, are being discussed. She further solidified that when, after setting the all-time WNBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Contest record in 2023, she went toe-to-toe with Stephen Curry at this year\u2019s NBA All-Star Weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ionescu fell just 3 points shy of Curry in what was the first-ever NBA vs WNBA Three-Point Contest, but even a blind man could see that Ionescu was right where she belonged\u2014under the brightest lights, front and center on a basketball court, representing both a group of women who\u2019ve arrived and a group of young girls who are on the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust to be able to have this be the first of this kind of event and come out here and put on a show but understanding what this means,\u201d said Ionescu. \u201cI\u2019m excited to change the narrative and be able to do it alongside the greatest to ever do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t just Ionescu\u2019s sweet stroke that captivated the eyes of viewers; her kicks did, too. She was sporting her Nike Sabrina 1s in a clean colorway of Liberty hues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a few occasions, Ionescu spoke to the idea of the Sabrina 1s embodying a story about defying those who doubted her ability to play basketball, let alone with boys, when she was growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, defy she did. With the Sabrina 1s, Nike and Ionescu laid the foundation of a gold mine for her signature line, as they quickly became one of the more popular on-court picks among the basketball community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNot a women\u2019s basketball shoe or a men\u2019s basketball shoe, but just basketball,\u201d Ionescu said to ESPN this year, when describing the Sabrina 1s. \u201cBeing able to tell that story and have people authentically buy in and respect that, I think the time is now in terms of wanting that to be pushed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everywhere you look(ed)\u2014high school, college, the WNBA, the NBA, your local basketball gym\u2014you are\/were sure to see a fair share of feet in various colorways of the Sabrina 1. The model was the fifth-most played in sneaker in the 2023-24 NBA season, with players clocking a total of 17,209 minutes played in the silhouette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it. Ionescu and Nike are running it back and running it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sabrina and the Swoosh launched Ionescu\u2019s second sneaker, the Nike Sabrina 2, along with an apparel collection this past June. Instead of a complete design overhaul, they built upon the first silhouette, maintaining a similar shape, cut and cushion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the center of the collection is the Sabrina 2 signature sneaker, built for players who want to accelerate and cut with quickness,\u201d the brand said. \u201cNike design teams partnered closely with Sabrina to combine the best of the Sabrina 1 with fresh upgrades that create a sneaker that\u2019s 28 grams lighter and doesn\u2019t sacrifice support, stability or comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these \u201cfresh upgrades\u201d include a Cushlon 3.0 foam midsole (the first ever in a Nike Basketball sneaker), a Nike Zoom Air Unit in the forefoot, an updated band system around the midfoot and a new \u201cS\u201d-inspired pattern that provides multidirectional traction for quick cuts. Additionally, select colorways will showcase mirror-finished Swooshes, which Nike explains are \u201can affirmation from Sabrina to the next generation to see themselves in the shoe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At first glance of the Sabrina 2, and even the Sabrina 1, it\u2019s obvious where Ionescu\u2019s inspiration comes from. Two sneakers in, and her signature line has drawn early comparisons to Kobe Bryant\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout her storied college career and early years with the Liberty, Kobes were Ionescu\u2019s go-to sneaker. The fact that Ionescu\u2019s line is mentioned in the same breath as Bean\u2019s says a lot about the WNBA All-Star\u2019s cultural appeal, but more importantly, her ability and commitment to leading the push to elevate the women\u2019s game to national, and ultimately global, mainstream relevance. It\u2019s a vision she and Kobe shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ionescu first met Kobe in 2019 when he and his daughter Gigi pulled up to watch her Ducks dismantle the USC Trojans. Ionescu developed a close relationship with the Bryant family shortly thereafter. Kobe kept tabs on her throughout the season, often sending words of encouragement as she continued to etch her name in the history books. That summer, Ionescu trained with Gigi and even helped Kobe coach his girls\u2019 team, of which Gigi was a member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I represented the present of the women\u2019s game, Gigi was the future, and Kobe knew it,\u201d Ionescu said during her tribute at Kobe and Gigi\u2019s Celebration of Life service in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s over four years later, and Ionescu still \u201crepresents the present.\u201d And at only 26 years old, she represents the future, too. Think Kobe rocking No. 8 for the purple and gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up watching Kobe Bryant game after game, ring after ring, living his greatness without apology,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI wanted to be just like him, to love every part of the competition, to be the first to show up and the last to leave, to love the grind, to be your best when you don\u2019t feel your best and make other people around you the best version of themselves. And to wake up and do it again the next day. So that\u2019s what I did: Wake up, grind and get better. Wake up, grind and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you see Ionescu walking through the tunnel before a game, scroll through her Instagram feed or observe her demeanor during interviews, you\u2019ll see a charming personality that everyone likes being around. But underneath that is a fierce competitor who approaches her craft with utmost seriousness and focus, with a long list of results to show for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we go to press during the Olympic break, the New York Liberty are hitting on all cylinders and have the best record in the W by a comfortable margin. Ionescu is averaging 19.8 points, 6.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1 steal playing a career-high 33.7 minutes per game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ionescu\u2019s impact on the court is undeniable, and her influence off the court is just as powerful. On the heels of the Sabrina 1 and with the latest release of the Sabrina 2, she continues to push the boundaries and create waves for those coming after her, like fellow Nike signature athletes A\u2019ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark\u2014each reported to have their first signature sneaker coming soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ionescu is programmed for greatness\u2014all she has to do is continue being confident and unapologetic about who she is and what she brings to the table, just like Kobe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ionescu is a blessing to the game of basketball, and her presence will transcend well beyond her playing days, just like Kobe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once, while in college, she said Kobe texted her. \u201cBe you, it\u2019s been good enough, and that will continue to be good enough.\u201d He wasn\u2019t lying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to be a part of the generation that changed basketball for Gigi and her teammates,\u201d said Ionescu in her tribute, \u201cwhere being born female didn\u2019t mean being born behind, where greatness wasn\u2019t divided by gender.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From her consistently dominant play to the huge success of the Sabrina 1 and now the 2, there doesn\u2019t seem to be a height that Ionescu can\u2019t reach. For the younger generation who wasn\u2019t lucky enough to watch Kobe in real time, just watch how Ionescu, one of his closest mentees, dissects her opponents with a relentless will to excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in her new Sabrina 2s, she\u2019s gonna look magnificent doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Photos via Getty Images and Nike.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story appears in SLAM KICKS 27. Get your copy here. There\u2019s an elite group of current NBA players who are Nike athletes with signature sneaker lines: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker and Ja Morant. An argument can be made that none of those future Hall of Famers has the best Nike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":816082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65271,21],"tags":[64260,1862,62529,63148,65279,63726],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-816075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kicks","category-kicks-27","category-wnba","tag-kicks","tag-new-york-liberty","tag-sabrina-ionescu","tag-slam-kicks","tag-slam-kicks-27","tag-wslam"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816075"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":816122,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816075\/revisions\/816122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816075"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=816075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}