Shoe Deal: Liberty All-Star Sabrina Ionescu's Sneakers Stolen in Las Vegas
New York Liberty All-Star point guard Sabrina Ionescu announced on her social media channels that her trademark sneakers were stolen from the visitors' locker room at Michelob Ultra Arena prior to her showdown against the hosting Las Vegas Aces.
"Never thought I would get my shoes stolen from an opposing arena," Ionescu said in her post. "Please just bring me my insoles back. RIP to my Sabrina 1s."
Ionescu is in the midst of her fourth season with New York and continues to make an impact on and off the court. In her business affairs beyond the court, she has worked closely with Nike, which produces her signature sneakers, the Sabrina 1. As Ionescu mentioned in her post, she was more concerned about losing her insoles, which have been specially modeled after some early ankle/foot injuries at the onset of her professional career, one of which cost her all but three games in her rookie campaign.
If Ionescu was truly missing her insoles on Thursday, her box score certainly didn't show any signs of it: though the Liberty dropped an 88-75 decision to the Aces in a clash of WNBA titans, Ionescu sank six triples en route to a New York-best 22 points. Thursday marked her ninth game with at least six successful three-pointers, extending her own WNBA record. The Liberty nonetheless enjoyed their trip to Vegas by earning in-season glory with an 82-63 victory in the Commissioner's Cup final on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of Thursday's loss, Ionescu said she "hadn't heard anything yet." Brian Ahearn, the executive director of communications for MGM Resorts International (owner of Mandalay Bay, which houses Michelob Ultra Arena), told ESPN's M.A. Voepel that arena personnel is "aware of this situation and are working with Metro Police to investigate."
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello reiterated Ionescu's concerns about the loss of the insoles over the sneakers themselves during the lead-up to Thursday's tip-off.
"Everyone likes to wear their insoles," Brondello said. "I'm still wearing soles now at my age so it feels uncomfortable when I'm not wearing them. Hopefully, (the sneakers) can be found. Keep the shoes, but give the insoles back. She can get plenty of shoes, but we're on the road, so it's not like we can just get some insoles."
The Liberty (24-7) will continue a six-game road trip on Friday night when they move deeper into the desert to face the Phoenix Mercury (10 p.m. ET, Ion).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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