The most hyped women's basketball prospect in recent years is sticking with her Swoosh family.
Following tonight's WNBA Draft, during which she was selected by the New York Liberty with the first overall pick, former Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu announced that she's officially joining the Nike family on a multi-year deal. Ionescu wore Nike gear during her 4-year stay at Oregon and had a close relationship with Kobe Bryant before his untimely passing earlier this year.
Ionescu is coming off a stellar season with the Ducks in which she earned AP Player of the Year and Naismith Player of the Year honors, along with becoming the first ever player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in an NCAA career.
“During a time when we all need sport more than ever, we are thrilled to have a generational talent like Sabrina join the Nike family,” said Rosemary St. Clair, VP and GM Nike Women. “Together, we’re going to bring even more excitement to the game of basketball and inspire the next generation of athletes.”
Before signing with Nike, Ionescu was also heavily pursued by Under Armour and PUMA. While details of her Nike deal have not yet been made public, Ionescu did imply that a signature sneaker was a topic that came up in her negotiations during an interview with NBC Sports. It remains to be seen if a signature model is part of her agreement with Nike.
