Sabrina Ionescu’s Manila tour highlights Filipino basketball passion

On only her second day in Manila, WNBA and Olympic champion Sabrina Ionescu has already seen how much Filipinos love basketball.

Following a warm welcome at the House of Sabrina at Nike Fort and an exciting skills camp with young Filipino ballers at the Courtyard in BGC, the New York Liberty star continued her tour with a day full of basketball action and meaningful moments.

Nike Sabrina 2 x Titan Make Space revealed

Ionescu kicked off her second day with the launch of the Nike Sabrina 2 x Titan Make Space, a special collaboration between Nike Basketball and Titan. Designed by Filipina artists Alla Torre, Lari Gazmen, and Alessah Papa, the limited-edition release pays tribute to both Ionescu’s growing legacy with the New York Liberty and the Show Her Love community tournament by Titan.

Filipino basketball stars joined Ionescu in a thrilling all-star exhibition at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The shoe features a light bone color with purple, emerald, and blush accents, with seafoam details reflecting Ionescu’s influence. A pink-to-yellow gradient Swoosh, inspired by the Fire Spinner plant, symbolizes her fiery passion and the resilience of women’s basketball in the Philippines.

“When anyone picks up this shoe, I just want to give them hope on being able to accomplish whatever it is they want to do, whether it’s on the court or off the court,” Ionescu said.

Craft the Future Showcase electrifies Araneta Coliseum

Later in the day, Ionescu headlined the Craft the Future Showcase at Smart Araneta Coliseum, where Filipino basketball fans witnessed an exciting mix of competitions.

The event featured a Dance Showcase, the Legends and Young Guns All-Stars Exhibition, and a three-point shootout with some of the best sharpshooters in Philippine basketball, including Janine Pontejos, Luisa San Juan, Khate Castillo, and Marcio Lassiter.

Fans witnessed an unforgettable basketball showcase as Sabrina Ionescu brought her signature game to Manila.

The energy inside the Big Dome reflected the country’s passion for the sport, with fans cheering on a talented mix of collegiate and professional players from both men’s and women’s basketball.

Notable players who participated included Dave Ildefonso, Camille Nolasco, Rizza Palmera, LA Tenorio, Paul Lee, Afril Bernardino, Kieffer Alas, Camille Clarin, Harold Alarcon, Jhaz Joson, Ricci Rivero, Japeth Aguilar, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Louna Ozar, Kacey Dela Rosa, Rhenz Abando, Trina Guytingco, Kai Oumi, and Alyanna Lim.

As the event concluded, Ionescu left the crowd with an inspiring message.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone and to all those young boys and girls in the arena. The legacy that I want to share is for you to leave the game better than you found it. Continue to grow the game of basketball and just show up. Continue to dream big, because you can do it,” she said.

Manila showed love, and Sabrina Ionescu gave it right back. Basketball culture at its finest.

Nike Sabrina 2 x Titan Make Space release dates

The Nike Sabrina 2 x Titan Make Space will be available in the Philippines starting March 11, 2025, at Titan and NBA Store Philippines. A limited release will follow at Ionescu’s Asia Tour stops in Guangzhou and Hong Kong on March 15, with a global launch on March 22 through Nike.com SEA and select U.S. retailers.