Sabrina Ionescu Becomes Major Beneficiary of Steph Curry's Sneaker Free Agency as Warriors Star Breaks Nike Drought

Earlier this month, Steph Curry unexpectedly cut ties with Under Armour. Even after the split, he kept wearing his Curry Brand shoes. That changed on Monday when he stepped onto the Chase Center in Sabrina Ionescu’s signature Nike sneakers for the Golden State Warriors-Utah Jazz clash.

Curry was donning the “Iones Crew” Nike Sabrina 3, with Ionescu present in the arena to witness the shoutout in person. He had not worn Nike shoes in 12 years, with his last time being in 2013.

Curry made the night even memorable by leading the Warriors to a 134-117 win, recording 31 points while shooting 50% from the field.

It seems like Sabrina Ionescu’s sneakers brought him some luck. In his first game wearing her shoes, Steph etched his name NBA history. He now holds the record for the most 30-point games played in under 30 minutes.

Sabrina Ionescu was not the only one who got to see her signature sneakers being worn by Curry on Monday. Steph actually showed up in the “Flu Game” Air Jordan 12s before the game, then switched to the “Last Shot” Air Jordan 14s for his pregame warmup.

Steph Curry reflects on relationship with Sabrina Ionescu

In his postgame interview on Monday, Steph Curry talked about how long he has admired Sabrina Ionescu, even before she joined the WNBA. He shared that he even tried to recruit her to his Curry Brand.

The choice to wear her signature shoes came from that connection and the respect they have for each other.

“Yeah, we have a long history, knowing she's from the Bay and just I was following her career, there was a time when she was coming out of school and I was trying to get her to Curry brand. It's hard to get an Oregon Duck to leave Nike.”

“But it was cool, it was a kind of coincidence that I didn't know she would be here until yesterday, and I just had a pair of shoes and it was great. Yeah, to your point, she's doing amazing things, she's a champ.”

Many high-profile WNBA players like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Jewell Loyd, and Kelsey Plum have already worn Sabrina Ionescu’s signature shoes in the past.

Now that Steph Curry, one of the most popular names in the NBA, has laced them up as well, it feels like a huge moment for her. His support can help more people discover her brand and could lead to even more fans wanting to wear her shoes too.