While they may be rivals on the basketball court, Los Angeles Sparks' Kelsey Plum and New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu are forever linked for their success at the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA. Their friendship recently came in handy as Plum enlisted the help of Ionescu for her Sparks' rookie teammate, Sarah Ashlee Barker.

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Kelsey Plum is playing her first season in a Los Angeles Sparks uniform as the three-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion ended an eight-year tenure with the Las Vegas Aces. As the point guard of a young, developing team, Plum has fully embraced a leadership role within her new building, even looking after the rookies on her team.

Sarah Ashlee Barker was selected ninth overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft out of the University of Alabama. Barker notably set a program record with 45 points in a game and has since been finding her footing in the WNBA.

Kelsey Plum reaches out to Sabrina Ionescu for new Nike sneakers

During training camp, Plum noticed her rookie teammate Barker wearing Sabrina Ionescu's signature sneaker, the Nike Sabrina 1. As described by Plum, the pair was “old” and after Barker had trouble reaching out to Nike for a new pair, Plum took it upon herself to directly contact her USA teammate for a new pair.

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“I hit [Sabrina] up and I'm like ‘Yo help my teammate, it's a nightmare out here' and she was like “I got you, what size does she wear?”

Eventually, Kelsey Plum turns the camera to reveal six brand new pairs of the signature Nike Sabrina 2 especially in Barker's size 10.5, the same size that is worn by Ionescu. Thanks to Ionescu's stellar play on the court, her signature basketball sneakers have grown into the most popular on-court option for players in the WNBA as well as growing in the NBA.

It's great to see Ionescu serving as an ambassador for Nike Basketball and it's even more endearing to see both her and Plum hooking Barker up with some new kicks. The Los Angeles Sparks will visit the New York Liberty for the first time on July 3, 2025.