Sabrina Ionescu’s Birthplace Inspires the Nike Sabrina 3 “Walnut”

There’s little doubt that the “Walnut” in the title, especially considering this shoe’s lack of earthy tonality, is a nod to Ionescu’s hometown, Walnut Creek. Where exactly that inspiration manifests itself is more unclear, but perhaps it’s as simple as nodding to the watery namesake that also appears on the city’s flag. Even without revealing the story, the shoe is already very attractive, mixing cerulean tones throughout the upper before being enhanced with a gold Swoosh on the lateral side and black trim on the tongue and outsole.

It looks like the Nike Sabrina 3 “Sapphire” is a grade school exclusive; The product listings for this colorway do not include an adult counterpart at the time of writing. If this one catches your eye, stay tuned for our January 1 release date. An MSRP of $110 is expected.

Matt Varga is an editor at SneakerNews. Initially pursuing a degree in Video Art and Technology, he moved into video editing and writing in the music business, primarily in the fields of hip-hop and electronica. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switch to shoes. He is an avid collector and his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to the Air Jordan 1 ‘Black Toe’ and the Air Jordan 5 ‘Laney’, his very first pickups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, going to concerts and, weather permitting, on the handball court.