I gained a lot of experience playing on my brothers' 10-foot hoop. Reels. One of the most electric basketball players in the world (man or woman) is the WNBA star, Sabrina Ionescu. Earlier in the season, Sabrina watched the video her father took of her young self making that Toastmasters speech about her basketball dreams. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Namrata is an enthusiastic CSIT student. So Sabrina always kept her shoes with her when we went to Eddy's games. She was born to Romanian-American parents, Dan Lonescu and Liliana Blaj. [45], On July 6, 2022, Ionescu had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to record the first 30-point triple-double in WNBA history.[46]. They had heard the language at home throughout their lives. Videos Tagged. People were crying and just so sad. Ionescu also shares her knowledge with boys and girls at camps and academies, including Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy. My family has always been there for inspiration to keep pushing and one day become a WNBA player.". Watching it now, like, wow, a lot of my dreams have become a reality. Prior to his career as a Duck, he appeared in 63 games at City College of San Francisco, where he averaged 9.9 points per game in 2018. But you see your parents just going to work every day, working hard. We were the best shooting team in the country. Ionescu's Oregon Ducks also won the Pac-12 championship for the first time since 2000. They used to play football and basketball for college-level games. And that fourth quarter, we just didn't shoot the ball well. Fell straight down. Joki was a Pilipino motorbike enthusiast who, Read More Joki Octaviano Accident And Cause Of Death How Did He Die? I think that, you know, college, even high school girls, athletes, need to step up and say, "Hey, we deserve this," "Hey, do you see what I'm doing?" The WNBA draft order is released in September, and the New York Liberty draw the top pick. His sister, Sabrina, is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) professional). We let Oregon down in some way, because we had such high expectations for ourselves. Months go by. "Not many . Ionescu also recorded her eighth triple-double of the season, tying her own NCAA single-season record from last season. Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj, her proud parents, welcomed her into the world. Her father's name is Dan Ionescu who fled Communist Romania around the time of the 1989 revolution. 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. She debuted for Oregon in November 2016, scoring 11 points in a win over Lamar. Sabrina makes college visits but doesn't make a decision about which one she'll attend until just before the summer 2016 term begins. Sabrina Ionescu WNBA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com Sabrina Ionescu Pronunciation: \yo-NESS-coo\ Sabrina Ionescu Twitter : sabrina_i20 Instagram: sabrina_i Position: Guard Shoots: Right 5-11 , 165lb (180cm, 74kg) More player info 1x All Star 20 20 SUMMARY Career G 69 PTS 15.0 TRB 6.3 AST 6.1 FG% 40.2 FG3% 33.1 FT% 92.7 eFG% 48.7 PER Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. Eddy Ionescu, sometimes known as Edward "Vortex" Ionescu, is a professional basketball player like her sister and followed a similar career. After starring for the Oregon Ducks womens college basketball team, Ionescu has since joined the New York Liberty. I appreciated it. Graves: I think Sabrina in New York, if that's the way it works out, is a match made in heaven. 107 posts. And he came, and his voice was shaking because I had like 10 minutes to decide and I hadn't decided. He once played at the City College of San Francisco before moving to Oregon, where he joined the Ducks men's team in 2019-20. Shortly after the premature end of her senior season, the university polled fans on social media, asking them to name the four Oregon alumni they would put on a notional Mount Rushmore for the university. Sabrina Ionescu has a twin brother named Eddy Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty dribbles up the court during the second half of a game against the Dallas Wings in 2020. You take that on: You want to prove to everyone that you belong. . But my teammates were ready and I tried to do everything I could to be ready in order for us to win. It's awesome to be part of a team that has accomplished that. Eddy: It helped us grow into the people we are, and then we know that we always have each other to fall back on. Sabrina: My dad would try to coach from the stands, and he'd yell stuff in Romanian to me. In March, the 31-2 Ducks are poised for a 1-seed and deep run in the NCAA tournament. About. So I just remember, I said, "I'm going to stay." The following year, Sabrina leads the Pac-12 in points and assists, and the Ducks earn a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament. Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. Sabrina: I could tell Eddy was really nervous. He scored six points per game as a freshman and 9.9 as a sophomore. Because they knew exactly how it was gonna start. And so he starts bawling, and then I start crying. [21][22] She was later named ESPNW Player of the Week. Sopak: I'm on the phone with her and she has 19 minutes to notify the WNBA [laughs] if she's going to declare for the draft, and we're seeing things on Twitter that she's going, she's not going, and we're laughing about it because she doesn't know. Hebard: I think it's needed. Kobe was helping her with that because he saw it in her. [52] Ionescu is also very close friends with former teammate Ruthy Hebard. Sabrina: That's all I talked about. 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. . Her mother is Liliana Blaj and she has a twin brother Edward ("Eddy"). Graves: I didn't know who had her ear, quite frankly. She was born to proud and supportive parents, Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj. She needs to be playing on that kind of a stage. [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. Major is general social science. The scrappy kid from the Bay Area has risen to become the most formidable player in her sport. Then he called me and said, "Where are you?" With Oregon poised for a No. I felt more alone. Sabrina: The fact that I had to fight for every rebound, because he wasn't going to give me anything easy, is kind of what I translate to my game now. [40] She played her first game with the Liberty on July 25. Ionescu comes close to another triple-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. She is clearly in a happy relationship with Grasu and is excited to take the next step in their journey together. I did not cry. She fell short of another triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds in the game but recorded her 2,012 career points and 810 career assists. I think he almost started crying, gave me a hug, everyone was super happy, and then I started school the next day. [citation needed], Ionescu was the No. Eddy: We were together when she made that decision. It's crazy to see everything come full circle and see how young I was and the dreams that I had and Holly Andres for ESPN. Hebard: When they came out with the draft, I texted her. Playing basketball with her older brother, Andrei, and her twin brother, Eddy, had taught her the joy of clawing for every rebound, every point. They never took anything for granted, especially starting warm-ups. Sabrina: I remember I was in the front yard with Eddy, and he was like, "My left hand's better than yours." I went on a walk and just tried to clear my mind to figure out what I wanted to do. [41], On August 1, 2020, Ionescu injured her left ankle in the second quarter against the Atlanta Dream. Sabrina Ionescu and her twin brother, Eddy, have always shared a special bond that was strengthened by their shared love of basketball. A daughter of Romanian immigrants who fled their homeland after the 1989 revolution, Ionescu took to basketball "just trying to keep up" with her brothers in the driveway while growing up the . 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. Those are probably my two favorite players. More importantly, he didn't just show up in my life and leave -- he stayed. I went right back at him. Despite having only played for three seasons at this point, Ionescu was eligible for the 2019 WNBA draft by age. 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. "She's an unbelievable talent on that team," Curry would go on to say in a Warriors news conference. Sabrina has 24 hours after the conclusion of her season to decide whether to declare for the WNBA draft. Sabrina Ionescu is an American basketball star, who plays for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She did believe every word she wrote [in her speech when she was 12]. Sabrina makes an immediate impact, including 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 69-55 win against defending state champion Archbishop Mitty. Like Ionescu - who used to hustle grown men for Slurpee money alongside her twin brother - Taurasi is deeply, almost scarily competitive. In his redshirt junior season at Oregon in 2019-20, Eddy first appeared on Dec. 7, 2019 against Hawaii and had one assist. As a freshman at Oregon, she recorded four triple-doubles and was named USBWA National Freshman of the Year. 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. Her talent hasn't gone. Scoring 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, she became the youngest player in WNBA history to record a triple double. Verified. Maybe that's what drives her. After two years at the City College of San Francisco, Eddy transfers to Oregon, and he and Sabrina become roommates. 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. Sabrina: I took a few unofficials. The great ones are like that. Sabrina: He believed in me, and he knew that this is kind of what happens your freshman year, you just figure out how you're supposed to play, what works, what doesn't work. They make it to the Elite Eight again before falling to eventual champion Notre Dame. [27] Ionescu finished the game with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal. [3] Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Sabrina has 2 siblings: a twin brother, Edward, who was born 18 minutes after her, and an older brother, Andrei. Case UpdateContinue, Stanley Wilson Jr Wife does not exist, as the player was single till his death. They came here, and they've worked for everything they've gotten and had to work super hard. 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. Ionescu also helped lead the Ducks to the Final Four in 2018-19. And she usually delivers. It was also the first Liberty triple-double, as well as the tenth in league history. 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. Basketball fans are more curious to know is Sabrina Ionescu gay or not. Also Read:Tyrese Haliburton Sister, Who Are His Siblings? Sabrina is known for her exceptional skills and accomplishments in college and professional basketball. Edward has also developed into a basketball player who is involved with various national teams. He noted that attendance at Oregon women's games had dramatically increased during Ionescu's career at the school. She was named the McDonald's All-America game MVP after scoring a record 25 points, including seven three-pointers, with 10 rebounds. [31][32] In the rivalry game against Oregon State on January 24, 2020, Ionescu had 24 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds and broke Oregon State and NBA star Gary Payton's Pac-12 all-time record of 938 assists. That stuff comes out in you. She has two brothers: twin brother Edward and another Andrei Ionescu. Source: Forbes Sabrina Ionescu was born on December 6, 1997, in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California, United States. And so I was like, "All right, well this is my chance, I'm going to say something.". Eddy Ionescu, aka Edward 'Vortex' Ionescu, followed the same path as her sister and is a professional basketball player like her sister. [53], Ionescu is engaged to former Oregon football player and Las Vegas Raiders center Hroniss Grasu.[54]. Yeah, we would just go home, eat, sleep, basketball, repeat. 1 in W.N.B.A. We lost nine games while she was in high school. They upset No. During her first year, she participated in 14 games out of 29 games, scoring 13.8 points, 2.9 steals, and 3.9 assists per game during that season. 1 in the preseason Top 25, the spotlight on Sabrina is brighter than ever. Her soon-to-be favorite player entered the league in 2009, when the Warriors used the No. All Ionescu: The ultimate guide to Oregon women's basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, Trailblazers: Women coaches discuss their ascension in the men's league, POY: Ionescu is women's college basketball's player of the year, Athletes' futures: NCAA to discuss granting athletes eligibility relief. Liliana: I still feel like I'm just living in dreams, especially at the bigger games, and when I know that next year she's going to join a professional team, it's something that I never thought was going to happen.
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