MSU's Richardson Gifts Shoes Worn by Spartans in Tuesday's Win

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The fingerprints of one of Michigan State's former players were colored pink and purple during the 15th-ranked Spartans' 82-59 win over UCLA on Tuesday night.

You might have noticed the shoes MSU was wearing that night. After all, they certainly are a contrast from the team's traditional green and white colors. Michigan State usually doesn't wear the same exact same pair of matching sneakers across the board, either. The reason for it was because the shoes were a gift from former Spartan and current Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson.

Michigan State players all wore these shoes, gifted by Jase Richardson, during its 82-59 win over UCLA at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. | Jacob Cotsonika, Michigan State Spartans on SI

"We got them a little before shoot-around," Jeremy Fears Jr. said after the game. "We're like, 'Let's try to wear them before shoot-around and then wear them in the game tonight. Maybe it was Jase shooting tonight; we had 14 threes."

Richardson has an ongoing shoe deal with Nike, so MSU being a Nike school helps line this kind of thing up. The shoes are a variant of WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu's signature shoe, known as the "Sabrina 3." It seems that Richardson designed the colors, because the shoes the Spartans wore are available to be bought for $165 on Nike's website and are labeled as the "Sabrina 3 By Jase Richardson."

More on the Shoes, Richardson

Dec 22, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson (11) celebrates a three point basket against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The colors are definitely a bold choice. Pink and purple are not colors that are seen on the basketball court very often, but the overall blend looks pretty decent. What is extra interesting is that Richardson chose colors that don't match up with the Spartans' tradtional attire or with the Magic's traditional blue, black, and white colors.

It's undeniable that Michigan State played pretty well in them, too. The 14 made threes from the Spartans in those shoes were the most in one game for MSU in any game in nearly three calendar years.

Matching shoes for Michigan State tonight. pic.twitter.com/0aSfoNcWzB
— Jacob Cotsonika (@jacobcotsonika) February 18, 2026

Richardson's shooting from beyond the arc is something that Michigan State is missing a little bit. He made 41.2% of his three-pointers during his lone campaign in East Lansing last year, and he's shooting 37.3% from three from the longer NBA line during his rookie season in Orlando so far.

MSU doesn't look like the world's most superstitious team, but that's the type of performance that spurs one. After all, Nike is also the company that helped come up with the famous tagline, "It's gotta be the shoes!" back when Michael Jordan was ruling the basketball universe in the late '80s and during the '90s.

Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on Richardson's shoe gift when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Spartans when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW