Sabrina Ionescu has made some larger-than-life waves in the WNBA and NBA combined with her special matchup against the Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry. But if we look at it closely, she has actually pursued multiple roads that have brought glory to the game as a whole. In fact, according to WNBA icon Sheryl Swoopes, her Sabrina 1 line with the sports-athleisure leader Nike has a lot to do with it as well.

While talking to PJ Tucker on his podcast Sneaker Lounge, the 4x WNBA champ gave Ionescu a much-deserved shout-out. She said, “When I look at Sabrina shoe, the fact that men can actually wear her shoe is one, says a lot about who Sabrina is and what she’s done. But also, that how much men appreciate the women’s game.”

Continuing her thought on how she couldn’t do the same, Swoopes said, “That was a big argument I had back in the day. A lot of men were like we want to wear that shoe but back then they only made the shoe up to the size 11 women’s.” Swoopes ended the topic by saying that there’s always a chance to grow and learn. According to her, Nike has learned from it and made bigger sizes for Sabrina 1.

While Sabrina’s deal with Nike which started back in 2020 is going quite well, her own impact on the basketball world is also no less than impressive. As a matter of fact, her 3-point shooting contest achievements also plunged a flag for women in the NBA’s All-Star weekend.

Sabrina Ionescu leads the way for women after Sheryl Swoopes

The entire world of women’s basketball has been undergoing enormous transitions for quite some time now. While the WNBA legend has handed her pedestal to the successors, the current athletes are making sure that the league moves forward. Sabrina Ionescu’s epic feat when she broke arguably the best NBA shooter’s record in 2023 went down in the history books.

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However, her appearance marked the first time that a female baller participated in a men’s event. Moreover, it was an exciting contest as most of the talk on social media post the All-Star Saturday night was about Steph vs Sabrina. While she did lose to Stephen Curry, Ionescu had already made an indelible mark.

Fans are now looking forward to another year’s All-Star Weekend when the WNBA stars could also showcase their balling abilities. Counting all these factors, Sheryl Swoopes seems to be on everyone’s side as she appreciates the budding legend.

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