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Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Reveals 1st Nike Signature Sneaker; 12th in WNBA History

Joseph Zucker

The signature shoe for New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu dropped Thursday.

"I think it's super important that it's not just a shoe," Ionescu said to Andscape's Nick DePaula. "It's about the story that it tells and what it's going to do for everyone that sees it and buys into it."

DePaula noted she's the 12th WNBA player to receive a signature shoe, and the trend has gained steam within the last year.

Liberty star Breanna Stewart and Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne saw the first line of their signature kicks hit stores, while Las Vegas Aces star Candace Parker got her second unique line from Adidas more than a decade after their first collaboration.

Ionescu is looking forward to players at her alma mater, Oregon, having the opportunity to wear her shoe moving forward.

"I remember being there and picking from Kevin Durant's shoe or LeBron's shoe," she said. "Now, knowing that my shoe is going to be inserted there for teams to be able to pick at Oregon is going to be special."

This release also comes ahead of what could be the biggest season of Ionescu's WNBA career.

The 25-year-old was an All-Star for the first time in 2022, averaging 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Now, she's playing a starring role for a franchise with championship aspirations following the offseason additions of Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot.

   

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