Sabrina Ionescu season has hit an unexpected low point.
The Liberty star, who helped lead her team to the 2023 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with a victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night, said her eponymous Sabrina 1 sneakers were stolen from an “opposing arena” this week.
“Never thought I would get my shoes stolen from an opposing arena… Please just bring me my insoles back,” Ionescu posted Thursday on X (the site that was formerly Twitter). “RIP to my Sabrina 1s.”
The 25-year-old guard did not specify what arena the signature Nike shoes could’ve been taken from, but the Liberty’s 82-63 victory over the Aces on Tuesday was at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, and they played there again Thursday.
According to WNBA reporter Khristina Williams, Ionescu believes her shoes, which were unveiled in March, were either taken after the team’s Commissioner’s Cup win or before the Liberty’s shootaround Thursday.
win over the Aces. Getty Images
During the win Tuesday, Ionescu wore a pair of green and yellow shoes that said “Quack” on them to pay homage to her alma mater, Oregon.
The shoes, which had custom insoles due to a previous ankle injury, were locked in a room next to the visiting locker room that only a certain number of Aces and arena staff had access to.
The Liberty will work with the building’s security team to review footage, Williams reported.
Ionescu, who was taken with the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, played in just three games in her rookie year before she suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain.
She missed the rest of the season.
She returned in 2021, but told ESPN last season that she wasn’t fully healthy until the beginning of 2022.
She has been a revelation for the Liberty this season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Ionescu was named an All-Star for the second consecutive year.
Her efforts, with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, have propelled the Liberty to a franchise-record 24 wins this season.
The Sabrina 1 shoes are set to officially launch in stores on Sept. 1.
