The Arena
Art by Clark MillerThe Sneaker Wars’ Surprise Twist: Female Basketball Stars Can Outsell Men
After a string of hits, the players are already considering the consequences of overexpansion.
A pop quiz: Which living basketball player has the most-worn signature sneaker in the NBA this season? If you guessed perennial All-Stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant or even Michael Jordan, you’d be wrong: It’s Sabrina Ionescu, starting point guard for the WNBA champion New York Liberty.
Indeed, sales of Ionescu’s unisex Nike shoes—the Sabrinas—quintupled over the 12 months ending in August, making it one of the fastest-growing brands at the world’s largest sportswear maker. “People aren’t wearing them just because they’re my shoes: People are wearing them because it’s a great basketball shoe,” Ionescu told me.