For a long time, Nike has used its well-known basketball brand to push the limits of what can be done off the court. The “Me vs. Me” line by Sabrina Ionescu is now a big part of that plan. Nike made Sabrina a cultural force in women’s sports and a performance innovator when they released the Sabrina 1 in 2023. The Sabrina 3, which came out in July 2025, took that identity to the next level with a sleek, high-performance design that is now having an impact on more than just the court.

Nike’s excitement is based on Ionescu’s popularity in the market and the way her signature line is going. Ionescu has become one of the most important people in women’s sports and the sneaker business since she signed a multi-year shoe deal with Nike in 2020. The Sabrina 1 was the first shoe in her signature line, which came out in 2023. The Sabrina 2 came out in 2024, and the Sabrina 3 came out in July 2025.

This moment is also part of a bigger trend around Ionescu. Since signing a multi-year deal with Nike for shoes in 2020, she has helped make women’s signature basketball shoes more useful and culturally important. The Sabrina 3 has become very popular in college and professional basketball, and its design is now being used in other sports as well, showing how her influence goes beyond the court.

Herbert’s outstanding performance is a testament that the crossover is a legitimate performance-driven product, indicating that basketball-inspired technology can be applied in football.

Sabrina Ionescu’s signature shoe takes over college basketball

The Sabrina 3 is making a big splash in college basketball. The #19 Trojans beat California 61-57, and USC’s Jazzy Davidson wore a special colorway just for players. This shows that Sabrina Ionescu’s impact goes beyond the pros and into college, where the next generation dreams in these shoes.

Davidson’s personalized shoes showcased USC’s Cardinal and Gold shades and features her number 9 on the backside, thus being unique.

The happiness she exuded in a social media clip was such that she declared, “It was just like a dream come true. I mean, I feel like a lot of people dream of having their own PE shoe, and then also just having it be this model—the Sabrina 3 is one of my favorite basketball shoes, so it’s really surreal.”

Then she talked about what it meant to wear her school colors: “Having an opportunity to wear the cardinal and gold is a huge blessing, and there’s a lot of tradition and pride, and it’s just a rich legacy that comes with it, and so I’m just really grateful to be able to put my own stamp on it. I’m super excited to debut these shoes.”

Nike is using Davidson’s moment to honor rising stars with the Sabrina 3. Nike makes shoes into personal achievements by giving college players their own custom versions. This shows that you’ve made it, you matter, and your dreams are real.