Sabrina Ionescu has tipped off March Madness in style.Â
The Walnut Creek product, who now plays for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association, announced her first Nike signature shoe and apparel collection on Thursday.
Ionescu is now the 12th player in WNBA history to receive her own sneaker, following fellow teammate Brianna Stewart who earned a deal with Puma last year.Â
In addition to being the first women's basketball player in over a decade to have a shoe with Nike, Ionescu is also the first female athlete to release a unisex apparel collection under the iconic brand.Â
Ionescu rose to national prominence in college while playing for the University of Oregon Ducks, where she became the first player in NCAA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds. In 2020, Ionescu was chosen by the Liberty as the top pick in the WNBA Draft.
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The Nike Sabrina 1 features embroidered patterns, which serve as a nod to Ionescu's Romanian heritage. In addition to its standard swoosh, Nike added a slanted Swoosh on the shoe's medial side to represent "the barriers Ionescu has broken throughout her career."
The 25-year-old point guard's signature and other branding synonymous with the player is featured prominently on the shoe's tongue and heel, as well as the quote, "Anyone, Anywhere."Â
The Sabrina 1 is scheduled to release this fall for $125. Colorways include "New York Liberty," "Photon Dust," "Oxygen Purple" and "Light Bone Laster Orange." Meanwhile Ionescu's unisex clothing collection will feature hoodies, t-shirts, socks and shorts.Â
The New York Liberty will tip off their latest season in May. Last year, Ionescu averaged 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists and helped lead the team to the first round of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs.
