Watching it now, like, wow, a lot of my dreams have become a reality. Sabrina Ionescu gets nervous. Everyone was so much faster and quicker. Emma Reed contributed to this report. She wants to win a national championship. [33][34] Payton personally congratulated Ionescu on the achievement. Sabrina: I just don't really like to be out there like that. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Graves: She takes it to heart. Carlos Serrao for ESPN. Rob Herring Wife name is Nicola Herring and they are living a happily married life. I used my older brother as inspiration to keep improving. Ruthy Hebard, Sabrina's Oregon teammate and best friend: Right off the bat, she was a leader. She was born to Romanian-American parents, Dan Lonescu and Liliana Blaj. Nick Bosa teaming up with brother Joey would 'break' NFL as pass-rush . According to Ducks coach Kelly Graves, in 2019 Ionescu had "a chance to be a Marcus Mariota, that level of player and an esteemed Oregon Duck when it's all said and done." [47] Ionescu and her Oregon teammates would be named as the US team for the 2018 3x3 World Cup to be held in June in the Philippines. November 14, 2022 Sabrina Ionescu makes Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Sports. Eddy: We competed in everything. Id play P-I-G, collect the money, Slurpees.. They own and run the "Greco's New York Pizzeria," a pizza restaurant located on Hollywood Boulevard. Sabrina: That's all I talked about. Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. Ionescu is perfectly pixilated for today's generation of young fans, who grew up watching basketball not just on ESPN but also XBox and PlayStation. [30] In a win over then #3 Stanford (8755), Ionescu scored a career high 37 points along with 11 rebounds and 7 assists, and broke Alison Lang's Oregon all-time career scoring record of 2,252 points in the third quarter. According to a 2020 story in the university's web journal Around the O, more than 70 suggestions were provided, but the four top choices were Mariota, Steve Prefontaine, Phil Knight, and Ionescu. View more on Instagram. Small and stubborn, she willed her game to improve. You take that on: You want to prove to everyone that you belong. National Signing Day passes, and as the only undeclared player in the McDonald's All American game;, she is named MVP after making seven 3-pointers en route to 25 points and 10 rebounds. Edited by Sam Nicodemo and Warren Wolcott. Fell straight down. Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates after a game against Mississippi State during the 2019 NCAA women's tournament. The Ducks make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years, as a 10-seed. Ionescu started at Oregon the year after Grasu was drafted. And she usually delivers. What's next for the prodigious point guard with a penchant for pushing life-altering decisions to the last possible moment? [39] However, Ionescu announced in an open letter published in The Players' Tribune on April 6, 2019, the day after Oregon's loss to Baylor in the Final Four and four days before the draft, that she would return to Oregon for her senior season. Also Read:Tyrese Haliburton Sister, Who Are His Siblings? She has 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the third-ranked Ducks' 74-66 win over No. "[48] She adjusted quickly to the unfamiliar format, leading her team to the championship while going unbeaten and also being named tournament MVP. Hebard: I was like, she's always yelling! Sabrina Ionescu's brother Eddy Ionescu is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty. "It's unfortunate we didn't get to see them in the tournament. ", Sabrina: They had posted something about Ja Morant getting one and said that there was only eight or seven people that ever got one in the NCAA tournament, and they listed all the men that had gotten a triple-double. Then passing-wise, when I was in sixth grade playing with the eighth-grade team, I was obviously a lot shorter, skinnier, smaller than they were. Very indecisive. Id sit there and try and act like I had no idea how to play, and so they had betted money, and then it was game on, Sabrina told ESPNW. Dan: She will not back down from anything, and he will not back down from anything. 4 UConn, the school for which Gigi hoped to play. Hebard: When they came out with the draft, I texted her. It's a great role model for other kids to watch and say, "That kid's doing it, not just by God-given foot speed or strength or agility, she's doing it because she's just skilled. Sabrina: It tore me apart. Dan: She would start, a minute here, minute there when a kid was not there. Her name hadn't yet become synonymous with the term "triple-double." Ionescu finally committed to Oregon just before the school's 2016 summer term began, driving with her father for 8 hours from their Bay Area home to Eugene, making an unannounced visit to Matthew Knight Arena and telling head coach Kelly Graves that she would join the team. I didn't tell anyone. He hoped that his then-wife, Liliana Blaj, and their son Andrei could join them in a few months, but they were unable to move to the US until 1995. " (I'm) impressed with her rebounding," Quigley said. Furthermore, Ionescu and her team finished as the Northern California Section Division II runner-up team. I felt her emotional side of it, which is kind of weird to describe. She was really small, but you could just tell she had a good skill set with her left hand. They broke down the game, and then. Meta. Follow. In addition to the career record, Ionescu also held the Miramonte top three single season scoring records with 598 (201314), 760 (201415) and 834 (201516). Just show the world what we can do a little more. The Ducks had a lot of success with Ionescu too. She was named the McDonald's All-America game MVP after scoring a record 25 points, including seven three-pointers, with 10 rebounds. We didn't really talk about the game for a little while. Born in Walnut Creek, CA #6. Like Ionescu - who used to hustle grown men for Slurpee money alongside her twin brother - Taurasi is deeply, almost scarily competitive. I would just have to find ways to impact the game other than shooting or scoring, and that was passing. She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She's not the biggest, quickest, fastest, strongest. Talking about her academics, she attended Miramonte High School from 2012 to 2016. Her twin, Edward also played basketball at the City College of San Francisco and was solely a student in the 2018-19 school year, before walking on to the Ducks men's basketball team in 2019-20. Regardless, if I had to be home for dinner at 8, we'd play 'til 9, until I would win, and then I'd be like, "All right, we can go home now.". Eddy recorded an average of 6.0 points per game in his first year in 2016-17, and as a sophomore, he recorded 9.9 points per outing in 2017-18. Hebard: She loves Steph Curry. For over six years, the family was separated. Sabrina: Coming into college, I never ran a ball screen in my life, and that's what our entire offense was. So we decided to build a future together. The Ducks administer a historic walloping, beating the Huskies 74-56 for their worst loss ever at Gampel. Despite having only played for three seasons at this point, Ionescu was eligible for the 2019 WNBA draft by age. Sabrina: I remember I was in the front yard with Eddy, and he was like, "My left hand's better than yours." Joki was a Pilipino motorbike enthusiast who, Read More Joki Octaviano Accident And Cause Of Death How Did He Die? [1] However, believing that she had "unfinished business" at Oregon, she chose to come back for her senior season. Case UpdateContinue, Stanley Wilson Jr Wife does not exist, as the player was single till his death. Eddy: I wasn't too jealous of the people she's met until Steph and Kobe. Sabrina Elaine Ionescu is an American basketball . I was like, "I just don't know. [47] Ionescu had never before played under FIBA 3x3 rules, admitting after the tournament, "I had to ask the rules before the games started. Tyrese Haliburton Sister, Who Are His Siblings? Because I think it would have been a really special run," Graves says in a news conference. [3] By that time, Dan owned a limousine service in Northern California, where he had chosen to settle because he had several extended family members in that area. Sabrina-Ionescu with her team meat. Ten years ago, Sabrina Ionescu hadn't yet turned the basketball world on its head. Sabrina makes an immediate impact, including 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 69-55 win against defending state champion Archbishop Mitty. NBA stars like Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant take notice of Sabrina's game. We were the best shooting team in the country. Sabrina Ionescu brother, Edward, is also a basketball player. Ionescu then had 10 points on four-of-five shooting in 12 minutes in her third WNBA game, but left early with an ankle injury. And so I had to learn how to use the ball screens and all the frustration that comes with that. She posted a triple-double in the championship game loss to Chaminade with 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. I was hoping, and I felt like, OK, she's got something to prove and she would like to come back. 3 Oregon arrives for the first time at Gampel Pavilion for a matchup against No. She was born with her twin brother named Edward also called Eddy, who was born only 18 minutes after the birth of Sabrina. The Nike Air Zoom GT Cut 2 "Sabrina Ionescu" sneaker edition is slated to be launched on October 13, 2022. So then I was like, "All right, we're going to Eugene.". She was an Oregon Ducks basketball player in college. I felt like I completely let the team down. I think he almost started crying, gave me a hug, everyone was super happy, and then I started school the next day. . It was hard. Eddy: It helped us grow into the people we are, and then we know that we always have each other to fall back on. [3] Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. However, that's quite a pull, you know? Ionescu's friends and family were excited to congratulate the athlete. Sabrina Ionescu Popularity . I shot 3-pointers, free throws, everything left-handed. Eddy: We were together when she made that decision. Indeed her legacy at Oregon had already been written. Kobe was helping her with that because he saw it in her. And so for days on end, I didn't use my right hand once. I did not cry. I just walked into the locker room and knew we won. Your email address will not be published. "There won't be another group like this ever.". She is just driven differently. There is no related content available. According to TMZ Sports, a rookie trading card of Ionescu has officially become the most expensive WNBA trading card in history, selling for $10,800 on Sunday night. Sopak: Even at that age she just had this swagger about her. On Feb. 3, with so many still in mourning, No. First Name Sabrina #9. But she went to a middle school that didn't have enough players to field a girls team, and when she attempted to try out for the boys' team, she was prohibited. Miramonte goes 119-9 during Sabrina's tenure, and she sets the school record with 2,606 points. Her twin, Edward also played basketball at the City College of San Francisco and was solely a student in the 2018-19 school year, before walking on to the Ducks men's basketball team in 2019-20. Sabrina: Work ethic and dedication, I learned that from my parents. Produced by Nancy Devaney and Emma Reed. Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Sabrina: I just remember the first couple practices, always getting the ball stolen from me and not being able to get those passes through just because the level of competition was so high. "My Romanian heritage influences my life on a daily basis and is something that I find pride in," she says. Graves: I didn't know who had her ear, quite frankly. [1] She is the NCAA all-time leader in career triple-doubles, the Pac-12 Conference all-time leader in assists, and the only NCAA Division I basketball player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in a career.[2]. Sabrina Ionescu and longtime beau Hroniss Grasu are "finally" getting married! [1] Ionescu was also a significant draw when Oregon went on the road; for example, when the Ducks visited Washington during her junior season, the crowd for that game was 3,000 more than the Huskies drew two nights earlier against Oregon State.[7]. [13], Ionescu rose to national prominence in her sophomore year, she led the Ducks to their third regular-season league crown all-time and first-ever No. Sabrina Ionescu only played two full games before her first WNBA season came to a devastating halt. Oregon Ducks point guard Sabrina Ionescu sits down with Maria Taylor and opens up about the strong bond she has with her twin brother Eddy Ionescu and her pa. 1 overall WNBA pick and owns too many UO program records to count. Wife And Net Worth Revealed. Sabrina Ionescu is the first NCAA player EVER with 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds! It was also the first Liberty triple-double, as well as the tenth in league history. There, she achieved an impressive milestone, becoming the first college basketball player to collect 1,000 assists, 2,000 points, and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Sabrina Ionescu and brother Eddy are born on Dec. 6, 1997, to Romanian immigrant parents in Walnut Creek, California. Blog . After just scoring 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting in her first game, Ionescu scored 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting in her second. Sabrina Ionescu's Family Background Explored. After starring for the Oregon Ducks womens college basketball team, Ionescu has since joined the New York Liberty. Here, the superstar and the people who know her best reveal the story behind the legend, the fights and flourishes that have come to define the game's most electric player. She then joined the City College of San Francisco but later transferred to the University of Oregon. Parents Age And Net Worth Revealed. Stanley, Read More Stanley Wilson Jr Wife Was He Married? Sabrina's ancestry is Romanian-Caucasian and has a twin brother, Edward. Parents Ethnicity And Girlfriend, Was Karl Malone Arrested For Rape Allegations? The following year, Sabrina leads the Pac-12 in points and assists, and the Ducks earn a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament. He and Sabrina stay connected through the Bay Area community and its youth basketball scene. Then you start to realize the incredible competitiveness that she has, the skill level that she has, the physical and mental toughness that she has. We were always so competitive, and I think it's 'cause we were the same age. Be Unique. Later, he was transferred to Oregon Ducks and played for them like his sister. Sabrina's like that to this day. She's worked at it. Earlier that day, she had been a featured speaker at the memorial service for Kobe Bryant, who had become a close personal friend within the previous two years, flying from Los Angeles to the Bay Area immediately after her speech.[2]. Sabrina: I don't really think I grasped what it would be like. And then Kelly didn't say anything, he just handed me the papers with the stats on it and continued to have his postgame speech. Graves: She commands and demands and deserves the respect that she's been given. Death Cause And Mental HealthContinue, Katrina Gorry Partner Clara Markstedt is a Swedish football player who competes for Vittsjo GIK. She's going to play at that level. During her junior year, Ionescu averaged 18.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 4.7 steals per game, and helped Miramonte High School to a 302 record with an appearance in the CIF open division semifinals. And now I use my left hand more than my right. Ionescu told Insider she thinks she should be a rookie again this year, but the WNBA disagrees. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, a 91-68 win against Indiana, Sabrina gets her first triple-double in a tournament game. She is also the NCAAs all-time triple-double leader with 26, and she is fourth on the all-time NCAA womens list in career assists with 1,091. Maybe that's what drives her. She was born to proud and supportive parents, Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj. Additionally, she was awarded the USBWA National Freshman of the Year presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association. My dad had no idea. Bryant narrates a Detail episode praising her physicality, court awareness and midrange game. The talented professional basketball player Sabrina has been the subject of rumors regarding her sexual orientation. The New York Liberty guard, 25, shared on Saturday that she and the Las Vegas Raiders center, 31, are set to wed. "It . I went right back at him. Graves: We had a chance. On Larkey Park's concrete court near their Walnut Creek, California, home, Sabrina and Eddy Ionescu took on unsuspecting marks in games of two-on-two. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft taking place this Friday, April 17. As the story's author Damian Foley put it, Yes, Sabrina Elaine Ionescu, who only earned her diploma in 2019, is considered by UO fans to be one of the four greatest Ducks ever, standing alongside such greats as Marcus Mariota, Steve Prefontaine, and the alumnus who co-founded Nike and made the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact possible. 1 in the WNBA Draft a year later.. That was in May 2020, a time in which she sat atop the basketball world as the NCAA's . Sabrina Ionescu and her twin brother, Eddy, have always shared a special bond that was strengthened by their shared love of basketball. Is the twin brother of Duck women's basketball superstar Sabrina Ionescu, who was the 2019 Wooden Award and Wade Trophy winner and holds the NCAA career triple-double record for both men and women . Eddy: One of my favorite memories of Sabrina and I growing up was just going to the park. Her first language . [20] On December 20, 2018, Ionescu recorded her 13th triple-double in a game against Air Force and broke the NCAA triple-double record for both men's and women's basketball. So I figured that if I could rebound, I would be able to get the ball myself. Sabrina: My dad would try to coach from the stands, and he'd yell stuff in Romanian to me. April 17, 2020 Nike, Inc. signs WNBAs #1 overall pick, Sabrina Ionescu to multiyear endorsement deal which will include signature footwear and apparel..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}"Nike signs #1 pick Sabrina Ionescu to multiyear endorsement deal". And she only got better from there, eventually leading the Ducks to a Final Four and going No. She was named the winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top Division I women's point guard after the season,[15] and was also a finalist for the Naismith Award. The scrappy kid from the Bay Area has risen to become the most formidable player in her sport. She debuted for Oregon in November 2016, scoring 11 points in a win over Lamar. Ionescu also helped lead the Ducks to the Final Four in 2018-19. She was born with her twin brother named Edward, also named Eddy, who was born just 18 minutes after Sabrina was born. [Her parents] never questioned anything. Scoring 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, she became the youngest player in WNBA history to record a triple double. Graves' remarks about Ionescu's future iconic status at Oregon proved to be prophetic. You could really see how invested everyone was. Parents Ethnicity And Girlfriend. After all, Ive never met another Romanian basketball player on the floor., twin brother Eddy Ionescu gave us tv gold last night with a Romanian breakdown of the game of his sis @sabrina_i20 @OregonWBB #WNCAA pic.twitter.com/YFuCJ2BUDo, Many NBA Players Supported the WNBA in a Big Way. He noted that attendance at Oregon women's games had dramatically increased during Ionescu's career at the school. After the NCAA made the extraordinary decision last week to cancel its tournaments, The ultimate guide to Oregon women's basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, Women coaches discuss their ascension in the men's league, Ionescu is women's college basketball's player of the year, NCAA to discuss granting athletes eligibility relief, Why Megan Rapinoe's brother Brian is her greatest heartbreak, and hope, Whatever happened to Villanova basketball star Shelly Pennefather? It motivates her to go back and practice more from learning from her mistakes. She led the Pac-12 in scoring (19.2) and assists, dishing out 7.8 assists per game which was fifth-most in the country. Then he said, "That's really impressive, that hasn't been done a lot," and walked out. Sabrina had her share of failures, and I think that's probably the most powerful thing a coach can give a player is the struggle. In his redshirt junior season at Oregon in 2019-20, Eddy first appeared on Dec. 7, 2019 against Hawaii and had one assist. March 28, 2020. With Oregon poised for a No. Sabrina Ionescu and brother Eddy are born on Dec. 6, 1997, to Romanian immigrant parents in Walnut Creek, California. Basketball Player Born in California #37. She did believe every word she wrote [in her speech when she was 12]. New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Sets Multiple WNBA Records in Historic Game Among the first was her friend Vanessa.