Nike Sabrina 1: An Excellent First Signature Shoe

The Sabrina 1 is Sabrina Ionescu’s first signature and a very solid one at that. It’s very reminiscent of the Nike Kobe 5 and the Nike Kobe AD Exodus. If you enjoyed those models you’ll love the Sabrina 1.

The Nike Sabrina 1 looks and feels like a Kobe. In fact, it would have been really cool to see Sabrina repping the new Kobe brand, but at the same time, it’s nice to see her get her own signature line.

Nike did a very good job with these, balancing the Kobe influences while creating a shoe and a new signature line with its own personality and unique vibe, and at the same time producing a top-notch performance basketball shoe. They even nailed the materials of the shoe that are synthetic and performance-driven, but still feel nice in hand, but more on that latter.

Nike Sabrina 1 Review

Nike Sabrina 1 Specs:

Nike Sabrina 1 Traction

The Nike Sabrina 1 features a solid, no-nonsense, traction setup. The traction pattern, for all intents and purposes, is full-length herringbone. It is a slightly more artistic and funky rendition of herringbone, but at the end of the day we have an aggressive triangular pattern with lines going in every direction, so it should perform very well on court.

The sole combines solid and translucent rubber, but it’s predominantly translucent. This means it won’t be a great outdoor option, but indoors it should offer excellent grip. Even if Nike gave us a fully solid running shoe type outsole or even a sole predominantly built with solid rubber, it still wouldn’t be great outdoors in terms of durability.

Nike Sabrina 1 Cushion

The cushion on the Nike Sabrina 1 is excellent, assuming you are looking for a reactive, low-profile setup. The Sabrina 1 features a full-length React midsole with a hefty Zoom Air unit in the forefoot. This configuration is perfect for lighter shiftier players who enjoy a quick, low-to-the-ground experience on court with just enough impact protection.

This setup might not be enough for bigger more powerful players who put a beating on their joints every time they are on the hardwood, but it should be enough for the vast majority of players out there.

Nike Sabrina 1 Materials

Materials on the Nike Sabrina 1 are what you would expect from a modern hoop shoe and also not at all what you would expect. Shoes built with synthetics and textiles can feel cheap and flimsy in hand, but that isn’t the case here. The textiles used along the upper feel nice, perform tremendously, and add a lot of depth and texture to the overall design.

If you are going to go with textiles on your shoe, this is the way to do it. The materials are layered in such a way that it boosts the shoe’s lockdown, which combined with the lace cables and the lacing system itself, is going to provide a very secure feeling ride on court.

Nike Sabrina 1 Support

Support is also a strong point of the Jordan 1. It all starts with the cushioning setup which is very stable and low to the ground. Then we have that very wide, Kobe 5-esque outrigger and a substation TPU shank plate in the midfoot, both of which will also boost stability while playing.

On top of that, we have those really nice materials that conform to your foot and lock it down effectively, those lace cables on either side of the shoe that draw your foot back into the footbed, and lastly the lacing system itself and the heel counter which works together to lock in your heel.

Nike Sabrina 1 Fit

The Sabrina 1 fits true to size and offers a great 1 to 1 fit. HOWEVER, they do come in woman’s sizing so, if you are looking for your Men’s size you will need to go a size and a half up (12 Men = 13.5 Women). If you don’t want to risk it, try them on in-store.

Nike Sabrina 1 Overall

The Nike Sabrina 1 is a great first signature shoe for Sabrina Ionescu and is one of the best basketball shoes Nike has to offer in 2023/24. It’s a shoe that visually, and in terms of performance, could easily be a Kobe shoe, so if you’re looking for a shoe that will give you that “Kobe” feeling on court this one is a safe bet.

The Sabrina 1 is a top-notch guard-style shoe that will give you great traction (indoors), a speedy and reactive cushioning setup, along with elite lockdown and support. If you’re looking for a basketball shoe with beefy and plush cushioning, this might not be the shoe for you, but that is hardly a drawback.

Anta Shock Wave 5: Kyrie’s New Shoes

Kyrie Irving left Nike to join Anta, and the Anta Shock Wave 5 is his first shoe with the brand. The Shock Wave 5 is a very well-built, Kyrie-esque hoop shoe.

Kyrie Irving had an unceremonious and notorious breakup with Nike in 2023 and since then, sneaker fans have been wondering what sneaker brand would land him. Kyrie Irving’s signature line was immensely popular, and Nike’s best-selling signature (basketball) line, so it would be a huge asset for whoever signed him.

After a brief courting period, it would ultimately be Anta that would come away with the W. Anta has been producing top-notch, high-performance basketball shoes for years at this point, so here at WearTesters we were excited to hear the news.

Kyrie’s first shoe with the brand will be the Air jordan 1. It isn’t a signature shoe, and it wasn’t even designed for Kyrie specifically, it is only the most Kyrie-esque shoe Anta has. But it is a very well-thought-out performance basketball shoe with all the bells and whistles. Let’s jump into the review and see how these will perform on court.

Anta Shock Wave 5 Specs:

Anta Shock Wave 5 Traction

The Anta Shock Wave 5 has a durable solid rubber outsole with a shark tooth traction pattern that offers excellent multidirectional coverage. The rubber is thick and firm, and the shoe’s sole is flat, making these a perfect choice for playing outdoors. There are also some portions of the outsole that wrap around the front end of the shoe, for some added grip on specific moves on court.

This setup will work equally as well indoors, if not better because of the enhanced durability, but there is an indoor-specific version of this shoe. The Anta Shock Wave 5 Pro also features a solid rubber sole but the traction pattern is slightly different and the rubber is not formulated to withstand outdoor use, so it’s a bit softer.

Anta Shock Wave 5 Cushion

The cushioning on the Anta Shock Wave 5 is what you would expect from a Kyrie shoe. What we have is a full-length slab of nitrogen-infused foam. It’s shaped like a wedge so it’s thinner towards the forefoot of the shoe. The foam is wrapped in TPU for added stability and reactiveness on court. That foam offers a very nice mix of impact protection and court feel.

It’s very reminiscent of the cushioning that was featured on the Harden Vol. 1 which was a great basketball shoe. If you’re looking for a reactive and agile, guard-style shoe that offers a bit of spring and impact protection this will be a very good option.

Anta Shock Wave 5 Materials

Materials are perhaps the shoe’s worst quality. They are very functional, but they do feel very plastic and cheap in hand. The Shock Wave 5 is built with a textile upper with TPU and fuse overlays for added containment and durability. The textile portions keep the shoe lightweight and breathable and allow the shoe to break in quickly and conform well to your foot.

The fuse and TPU portions are strategically placed along the upper to keep your foot well-restrained as you play. There are also portions of the midsole that wrap up the upper to act as containment walls that also boost lockdown. Again, these materials all work very well in terms of on-court performance, however, they do feel particularly plasticky in hand.

Anta Shock Wave 5 Support

Support on the Shock Wave 5 is on point, and very detail oriented, which is refreshing to see. Everything on the Shock Wave 5 is very well thought out. Through the very wide and flat sole of the shoe, we can see a blue TPU spring plate in the forefoot and a carbon fiber shank plate in the midfoot.

Wrapping the midsole is a TPU cage that adds stability to the cushioning system and some torsional support as well. In the midfoot, we have 2 straps integrated into the lacing system for lateral containment, and several lace cables towards the top of the lacing system as well. And last but not least the shoe is equipped with a heel counter as well. This is a top-tier setup, to say the least, but that’s not all.

There’s also the build of the shoe. The medial side of the Shock Wave 5 is rounded for added mobility, and the lateral side is much flatter and wider for stability. This is a great configuration, especially for an electrifying player like Kyrie Irving.

Anta Shock Wave 5 Fit

The Anta Shock Wave 5 fits like a glove. The textile upper adapts very well to your foot, and there is plenty of sculpting in the heel as well. So, go true to size, but, since Anta is a Chinese brand, the safest bet is to go with your Euro size, so keep that in mind.

Anta Shock Wave 5 Overall

Even though the Anta Shock Wave 5 wasn’t designed specifically for Kyrie Irving, it’s a very “Kyrie feeling” shoe. If you liked Kyrie’s Nike shoes you will like this one as well. Anta really has thought of everything when designing this model and has created an elite guard shoe.

So, if you were looking for an agile, low-profile, reactive hoop shoe, with a dash of impact protection underfoot, the Shock Wave 5 is going to be a very good option.