words, photography & design // Nick DePaula

A year after being selected #1 overall in the 2020 WNBA draft, SLAM stamped New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu as “The Next Queen of NY” for the mag’s Future Issue.

Two years after SLAM #231, Sabrina was launching her very own signature shoe with Nike — just the 12th player in W league history to have her own namesake sneaker — a distinction both historical to reflect on, and aspirational to look ahead towards.

“I know the numbers — only 11 players in 27 years have come before me,” she beamed after the launch. “It’s one of the highest honors in our game and something beyond humbling to be a part of.”

The moment immediately took Ionescu’s starpower and impact on the game to yet another level. 

An All-Star and All-WNBA PG in each of the last three seasons since, the 3-Point Contest record setter is once again running point for a loaded Liberty squad that reached the WNBA Finals a year ago, and aspires to yet again this year. 

Her debut signature model broke barriers and saw adoption at all levels of the game, inspiring “anyone, anywhere,” just as she had hoped. 

“It’s crazy to think about now, but the vision that Nike and I had together has really come to life,” she added.

The momentum around her second sneaker made it one of the most anticipated models of the entire year. It’s led to players of all positions, at all levels and from all backgrounds feeling inspired whenever they’re lacing up their pairs of Sabrinas. 

“That’s been something that we’ve been able to see happen, from NBA players to college players and now young boys,” said Ionescu. “They’ll be able to put these shoes on and feel like they can go out and accomplish anything.”

With the expectations rightfully high as Sabrina entered her fifth season this summer, there were also equally high expectations for her follow-up signature shoe, the Nike Sabrina 2.

Returning a sleek silhouette and versatile colorblocking options along the upper, her second shoe has offered up both a lighter weight sneaker and a more responsive cushioning platform. The recognizable Swoosh placement on the inside of the first shoe returns yet again, angled upwards through a shattered glass graphic to signify Sabrina’s barrier breaking series.

To highlight her impact in the sneaker game and on the signature shoe business, SLAM teamed up with Nike to create a Sabrina 2 that will be unmistakable on court — flooded out in all seafoam.

As SLAM celebrates its 30th anniversary and the magazine’s upcoming induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, we collaborated with a batch of brands to highlight the most memorable covers, most impactful players and defining sneakers that made their mark during the past three decades of SLAM. 

Amplifying the bright seafoam teal throughout, the SLAM x Sabrina 2 features a variety of additional details throughout. The heels of each shoe incorporate SLAM’s logo along with a nod to the 30th anniversary, while the insole also includes our celebratory 30th banner icon. 

The Swoosh logos are elevated throughout, standing out with a mirror finish that speaks to the young girls and boys that can take inspiration from the shoes and “see themselves” in Sabrina’s path.  

“My favorite detail is the Swoosh and being able to see your own reflection,” said Ionescu. “I want everyone to see themselves, what it is that they want to create and what it is that they want to dream — to be able to go out and do that in my shoe.”

As SLAM turns the literal page, with not only 30 years of impact and a Hall Of Fame designation cementing the legacy of “the basketball bible” into hoops lore for good, it’s the future of the game of the game that the magazine is also centered on celebrating and highlighting going forward.

A future that Sabrina Ionescu is helping to define. Both through her play, and the impact of her signature series with Nike. 

“I know what some people might think: ‘It’s just a shoe…’

“But really,” she continues. “I think signature shoes like this can help continue to push the game forward, for all.”

As SLAM celebrates 30 years in the game, our newest Sabrina 2 collaboration looks ahead to The Future, linking back up with one of the magazine’s iconic cover athletes that is sure to continue to pave the way for the next generation of the game. 

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