When senior and varsity girls’ basketball player Romy D’Adarrio ‘26 was little she always wanted Kobe Bryant basketball shoes. However, as she got older she noticed that there were no signature shoes made by women basketball players. Today, the gap is finally closing as WNBA stars’ signature shoes are becoming more and more popular. Now, D’Adarrio wears Nike Sabrina 2’s when she plays.
As the WNBA has been growing in popularity, two very successful players, Aja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu have become significant to its rise. Wilson, a two time MVP for the Las Vegas Aces, and Ionescu, a record breaking playmaker on the New York Liberty, have done more than just reshape the game. Both women have expanded the sneaker landscape with signature shoes of their own.
Alex Canty, head coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team acknowledges how important it is for young girls such as his players to witness the growth in popularity of women’s basketball. He believes it serves as inspiration for young girls and recalls how when he was in high school the WNBA was not nearly as talked about or televised as it is now.
“Young girls see the Sabrina and Aja sneakers and they are like, ‘oh, I can do it too,’ Canty said, “Because back then it was about Michael Jordan’s and Kobe sneakers which were heavy on the men’s side.Now, young ladies can see that they can shine and get a signature shoe deal one day as well because of the ladies that paved the way before them.”
Canty also acknowledges how the shift is influencing NBA players such as Stephen Curry and men in general. He himself owns a pair of Sabrina’s and supports the players.
“I think for the NBA players they see the popularity of women’s shoes and it is about support,” Canty said. “Even though it’s a separate NBA and WNBA, it’s still under one umbrella. And so just like how the women would wear a pair of Steph Curry’s, now he’s rocking some Aja Wilson’s or he can walk and rock some Sabrina’s and I think they like to see that growth and see the spotlight that those women are getting.”
The impact of these shoes isn’t limited to just professional players or coaches–it’s reaching young athletes like Romy D’Addario ‘26, who is an avid WNBA fan and a basketball player herself. As someone who goes to many WNBA games, seeing men wearing women’s players shoes makes her super excited and she acknowledges how it inspires many young girls like herself.
“It’s the first time you can wear a woman’s shoe with her logo, her design and her initials on it,” D’Addario said. “There used to not be any women’s sneakers available to buy or wear that fit my feet properly. I started wearing them because women’s basketball became more popular, and these athletes started getting their own shoe brands and deals. So it was something special for local players, to wear a shoe created for a woman’s foot and by a female basketball player.”
Similar to D’Addario, Christian Rogers ‘27 wears Sabrina’s as a starter on the boys varsity basketball team. Last year, the Sabrina’s were the team shoe, and influenced his team. While he doesn’t care whether he wears shoes from a male or female basketball player, he acknowledges that women starting to have their own shoes opens the door for other opportunities in the WNBA. He believes they serve to break stereotypes in professional sports like basketball.
“I knew [the Sabrina’s] were from a female basketball player, but I didn’t have any problem with that,” Rogers said. “I just liked the shoe for what it was and if it feels good to play in, I’m going to wear it no matter who made it. But I think having a woman in the shoe game opens up opportunities for other women to have their shoes widely available for players.”
While not on the school team, Jeffrey Liu ‘26 often plays basketball with friends and loves to use his Sabrina’s and Nike A’One shoes because of their style and execution, and not because of gender. Though he follows the WNBA and considers himself a fan, Liu doesn’t buy his shoes based on his opinions of the player, but more so buys based on the appearance of the shoe and how it performs compared to other shoes.
“I always chose the flashiest shoe because I thought it looked cool and back then, there really weren’t women’s basketball shoes around,” Liu said. “I bought Sabrina’s and Nike A’One shoes because people said they performed well. Now, women are getting more representation through shoes. And at the end of the day, if the shoes perform well, that’s what matters—traction, cushioning, design—not the name attached to them.”
