[40] She played her first game with the Liberty on July 25. [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]. Ionescu told Insider she thinks she should be a rookie again this year, but the WNBA disagrees. [52] Ionescu is also very close friends with former teammate Ruthy Hebard. Posts. Every time I stood up, everyone in unison would be like, "basketball." She brought one of Kobe's books into the locker room, and we all looked at it. 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. She is also the Pac-12 Conference all-time leader in assists as well as the only NCAA Division I basketball player to record 2000 points, 1000 assists, and 1000 rebounds in her career. And that fourth quarter, we just didn't shoot the ball well. At the time, she was the highest-ranked recruit ever to commit to Oregon basketball. Her elder brother is Andrei Ionescu. Sabrina: I took a few unofficials. Grasu is a former American football player and the Las Vegas Raiders. A January 2019 mock draft by ESPN, incorporating input from WNBA personnel and ESPN women's basketball analysts, concluded that Ionescu was a possible top pick should she declare. She owns a record-setting 18 career triple-doubles - the most of any student-athlete in a single season and career. [3] Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. The Nike Air Zoom GT Cut 2 "Sabrina Ionescu" sneaker edition is slated to be launched on October 13, 2022. And nothing was ever given to us as kids. They upset No. His son and wife were unable to relocate to the United States until 1995. 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]. I was hoping, and I felt like, OK, she's got something to prove and she would like to come back. The Ducks had a lot of success with Ionescu too. [16] Ionescu became NCAA women's all-time leader in triple-doubles,[17] trailing only former BYU men's player Kyle Collinsworth (with 12) among all NCAA players.[18]. Produced by Nancy Devaney and Emma Reed. Sabrina Ionescu and brother Eddy are born on Dec. 6, 1997, to Romanian immigrant parents in Walnut Creek, California. Eddy: We were together when she made that decision. [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. I felt her emotional side of it, which is kind of weird to describe. [3], On November 13, 2016, Ionescu made her collegiate debut for Oregon, recording 11 points in an 8467 win over Lamar. 4 Stanford. She has no clue, and we're trying to talk about the pros and the cons. It was part introduction and part prophecy. , Read More Demetress Bell Wife Is He Married? She has a twin brother Edward ("Eddy"), who was born 18 minutes after her. As a fresher in high school, she recorded an average . Ionescu has been in a relationship with her boyfriend, Hroniss Grasu, for a long time. Sabrina: My dad would try to coach from the stands, and he'd yell stuff in Romanian to me. 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. I shot 3-pointers, free throws, everything left-handed. 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. Sopak: Even though I didn't know until, I think, eight minutes before the deadline, when you step back and look at it, it was like that was the only thing she was going to do, if you know Sabrina. No posts yet. As kids, Sabrina Ionescu and her twin brother would hustle old men at basketball courts for 7-Eleven Slurpee money. Oregon coach Kelly Graves has developed a sense for nights when his star will get a triple-double. She then joined the City College of San Francisco but later transferred to the University of Oregon. While Ionescu is known for her skill on the basketball court, her personal life has also been a topic of interest for fans and the media. Sabrina's father, Dan, didn't know which way he'd be heading the day he picked up his daughter to drive her to college. Carlos Serrao for ESPN. Heading into her junior season, Sabrina has 10 triple-doubles in her career. After they went 23-14 in 2016-17, Oregon went 33-5 in 2017-18 and 2018-19. 107 posts. New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Sets Multiple WNBA Records in Historic Game Among the first was her friend Vanessa. She recalled, "My middle school said I should be playing with dolls. However, that's quite a pull, you know? The WNBA draft order is released in September, and the New York Liberty draw the top pick. We talked a lot about basketball and just how to not really change the program, just how to put our footprints on the program and just make it a better place. Katrina, Read More Katrina Gorry Partner Clara Markstedt Is A Soccer Player Children and Age RevealedContinue, Aaron Nesmith brother name is Eddie Nesmith. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament. 6 Oregon women's basketball past No. . She needs to be playing on that kind of a stage. 336 following. Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj, her proud parents, welcomed her into the world. [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. Follow. Young NBA athlete Aaron Nesmiths family, dating life, and, Read More Aaron Nesmith Brother Eddie Nesmith, Parents Girlfriend And InstagramContinue, People are curious about Demetress Bell wife, whether the defensive back has been married or not. On November 6, 2018, Ionescu recorded her 11th triple-double in a victory against Alaska-Fairbanks. They make it to the Elite Eight again before falling to eventual champion Notre Dame. Sabrina: I love having a relationship with [Curry], just being able to remember when I was little, watching him and kind of emulating my game after him, to now being able to call him or text him any time that I need help with something. The scrappy kid from the Bay Area has risen to become the most formidable player in her sport. The twin brother Edward (Eddy) was born 18 minutes after her. She is also the all-time leader in assists (769), steals (549) and triple-doubles (21). Someone would cry. You take that on: You want to prove to everyone that you belong. She was named Pac-12 Freshman of Week four times and was named USBWA National Player of the Week. Hebard: When they came out with the draft, I texted her. Not only were they difficult to guard while growing up, but they also, at times, communicated in fluent Romanian, according to The Oregonian. Shop ionescu t-shirts created by independent artists from around the globe. 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. The Ionescus have certainly made a name for themselves in the basketball world. Sabrina Ionescu is the first NCAA player EVER with 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds! Sagittarius . Sabrina Ionescu is 23 years old born on 6th December 1997 in Walnut Creek, California. The entire time, he had played it off that he was like, "We'll do whatever's best for you," and then was like, "All right, I'm going to go on a walk." I had to let her be, just because I knew her draft decision was coming up. Interested shoppers can easily buy them . Dan: She will not back down from anything, and he will not back down from anything. Her two brothers are. Everyone was so much faster and quicker. Hebard: She's always mad at herself if we lose, but I think we were all just bummed and upset and crying. Just because I knew she tasted how close it was to winning that national championship. By 50. She has recorded 10-assist games 13 times this season, handing out a league season-high 14 twice. Dan: In middle school, they had no girls team to speak of, but they had a boys team. . She was born with her twin brother named Edward, also named Eddy, who was born just 18 minutes after Sabrina was born. Ionescu recorded four triple-doubles, one shy of the Pac-12 record and two less than the NCAA record. I felt like I completely let the team down. Meta. I really don't know if Sabrina cares about winning. Eddy: Summers in California were just basketball and sleep, pretty much. Ten years ago, Sabrina Ionescu hadn't yet turned the basketball world on its head. But if I did, they were only tears of joy. They would compete against older men at the basketball court to win extra . She's not the biggest, quickest, fastest, strongest. [14] Following her second season, she was named the Pac-12 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year, and was also named a first team All-American by ESPN. Sabrina Ionescu has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager. Dotun Akintoye on Israel Adesanya as the UFC's next big thing. He has an older brother named Nico, who was a placekicker for Washington State from 2008 to 2010. Sabrina Ionescu's resume is long and exceptional: Two-time Pac-12 Conference player of the year; back-to-back First-Team All-American; National Player of the Year candidate; NCAA career triple-double record holder (18); probable No. Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates after a game against Mississippi State during the 2019 NCAA women's tournament. Kobe was helping her with that because he saw it in her. If we didnt want somebody else knowing what I wanted to do like a pick-and-pop, or watch me in the corner, or drive to the left wed say it to each other in Romanian, Eddy said, according to The Oregonian. Sabrina is a basketball player now engaged with the former American football player Hroniss Grasu. And we were going against the No. I'm torn.". She set an NCAA triple-double record instead", "Sabrina Ionescu, 'The Franchise,' accepts ALL-USA Girls Basketball Player of the Year trophy", "Miramonte High School standout named Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year", "ESPN Recruiting Profile of Sabrina Ionescu", "Oregon Ducks' Sabrina Ionescu is ESPNW's player of the week", "Ducks' Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard among position award winners", "Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon State's Marie Gulich named ESPN All-Americans", "Oregon vs. Alaska Fairbanks Game Summary November 6, 2018 ESPN", "Buffalo vs. Oregon Game Summary November 18, 2018 ESPN", "espnW on Twitter: "Oregon's @sabrina_i20 messed around and got her 13th career triple-double. Everyone's watching us. After an. Sabrina: We struggled, and I think we didn't handle adversity very well. She then averaged 19.7 points per game in her sophomore season to go with 7.8 assists and 6.7 rebounds, and then 19.9 points per game, 8.2 assists, and 7.4 rebounds in her junior year. You know, post their top-fives in Instagram and Twitter and let everyone know. Pac-12 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year, NCAA all-time leader in career triple-doubles, "Nike signs #1 pick Sabrina Ionescu to multiyear endorsement deal", "Sabrina Ionescu joins Oregon Ducks in part-time role", "Sabrina Ionescu - Forbes 30 Under 30 Profile", List of NCAA Division I basketball career triple-doubles leaders, List of NCAA Division I women's basketball career assists leaders, "Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu makes history against Stanford", "Sabrina Ionescu: 4 facts about the Oregon women's basketball scoring, assists leader", "Miramonte alum Sabrina Ionescu returns to Bay Area with Oregon", "Her middle school said to play with dolls. My family has always been there for inspiration to keep pushing and one day become a WNBA player.". If he won, we'd play again. His vision for me was way bigger than my own. 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. Hroniss Grasu is currently dating his girlfriend Sabrina Ionescu who is most known for having played for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association is the all-time leading scorer in the NCAA and a gold medalist at the FIBA Americas U-16 competition (WNBA). Eddy: The little dirty plays that some basketball players do, tugging on your shorts, whispering in your ear some trash talk, tripping you while you walk by I would just get under Sabrina's skin, just because I didn't feel like she had enough experience with that yet. Yeah, we would just go home, eat, sleep, basketball, repeat. Eddy is also a basketball player. We drove up here, walked in, surprised [coach] Kelly Graves. I felt more alone. . I took Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, Cal. Children Age And Net WorthContinue, Joki Octaviano Accident caused death after having life-threatening injuries. [37][38] Ionescu also won her second straight Naismith College Player of the Year award, Wade Trophy, Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year award, and USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award. He played basketball at City College of San Francisco. He'd come to visit, but not having him always to talk to in person was a lot different for me. Scoring 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, she became the youngest player in WNBA history to record a triple double. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Sabrina Ionescu- Professional Life, Career, Awards With help from an Ionescu 3-pointer that puts them up by six with 1:12 left, the Ducks beat Mississippi State 88-84 in the Elite Eight to advance, at last, to the Final Four, where they play Baylor. She has her eye on a matchup with Diana Taurasi, who is widely considered the league's GOAT. His vision for others is always bigger than that for themselves. Kind of like describing Sue [Bird]. Sabrina: Work ethic and dedication, I learned that from my parents. I had this poem book, and we had to write poems for an entire year. She is now the all-time NCAA triple-double leader for both men and women", "Air Force vs. Oregon Game Summary December 20, 2018 ESPN", "Oregon's Ionescu is espnW's player of the week", "Sabrina Ionescu breaks Oregon assist record in blowout of USC", "The ultimate guide to Oregon senior Sabrina Ionescu", "Sabrina Ionescu powers Oregon to its first Women's Final Four", "Sabrina Ionescu builds her brand as an SOJC master's student", "Ducks' Ionescu eclipses 2,000 points, 800 assists", "Sabrina Ionescu scores career-high 37, breaks program career scoring record to lead No. Her talent hasn't gone. She received national honors including the USA Today Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Max Preps Player of the Year, Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year and Gatorade State Player of the Year. Now, almost a full year later, the 23-year-old New York Liberty superstar thinks she deserves a new rookie . [12] According to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post, Ionescu chose Oregon "because she wanted to be the all-American at Oregon, not just an all-American somewhere else." [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]. Additionally, she would receive her bachelor's degree that June. He, Read More Rob Herring Wife: Who Is Nicola Herring? With her darting moves, pinpoint passes and. 1 seed and a deep run in the postseason, the NCAA halted its tournaments amid the coronavirus pandemic, effectively ending Sabrina's collegiate career. A Big 3 of Jones, Stewart and Ionescu would. Sabrina: I knew I was doing a little bit of everything, but there were no stats up on the scoreboard. It might have been 1 or 2 in the morning when Sabrina and I were on the phone when she had decided where she was going to go and just said, "I'll just surprise them when I get there." The Athletics Shams Charania reported that she is expected to miss approximately one month as she has a Grade 3 left ankle sprain. You just walk away, you mind your own business. She did believe every word she wrote [in her speech when she was 12]. Sabrina Ionescu is a professional basketball player who plays for the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a Point Guard for the New York Liberty. Just being able to, you know, have that platform now at Oregon is something that kind of sparks me to try to just voice my opinion on social media. Be Unique. Her father, Dan, once met Luka Dukich, an Executive director for Chicago Bulls, while he was driving Uber in San Francisco. Talking about her academics, she attended Miramonte High School from 2012 to 2016. In the NCAA Tournament Final Four, the Ducks lost to the eventual national champion Baylor 7267. They own and run the "Greco's New York Pizzeria," a pizza restaurant located on Hollywood Boulevard. Namrata is an enthusiastic CSIT student. It was hard. Sabrina has 2 siblings: a twin brother, Edward, who was born 18 minutes after her, and an older brother, Andrei. November 11, 2022 New York Liberty guard, Sabrina Ionescu rejoins her alma mater as the director of athletic culture. They never took anything for granted, especially starting warm-ups. Verified. But you see your parents just going to work every day, working hard. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Rob Herring Wife: Who Is Nicola Herring? His sister, Sabrina, is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) professional). And she usually delivers. . I was happy that she pushed back. If they would see something scary, a dog or something, they would reach at each other's hands, not at our hands as parents. 7 overall pick to draft sharp-shooter Stephen Curry from Davidson College. Sabrina has 24 hours after the conclusion of her season to decide whether to declare for the WNBA draft. Ionescu was born in Walnut Creek, California, to Romanian-American parents. I thought it was, like, freshman duties or something. Hebard: She loves Steph Curry. And he definitely helped me with that, growing up. Two times Pac-12 Player of the year, finished his collegiate career at the University of Oregon Ducks women's basketball team. Hroniss Grasu and Sabrina Ionescu are a Lovely Couple. Ionescu left Miramonte with a career winloss record of 1199 and a school-record 2,606 points scored. On Monday, Sabrina says goodbye to Oregon in an Instagram post: "Although our unfinished business will remain just that, I have been blessed to be a part of this journey." We didn't really talk about the game for a little while. Major is general social science. Ionescu leads the Ducks with 15 points and eight rebounds, but the Huskies win 90-52. Basketball fans are more curious to know is Sabrina Ionescu gay or not. [53], Ionescu is engaged to former Oregon football player and Las Vegas Raiders center Hroniss Grasu.[54]. ", "I started to play basketball at the age of 3, though I was just throwing the ball around. Also, people are curious to know more about her partner, parents and family. After the NCAA made the extraordinary decision last week to cancel its tournaments in an effort to slow the coronavirus pandemic, Ionescu lost the opportunity to win the championship that has eluded her and her Oregon Ducks, the one for which she delayed entry to the WNBA to try to claim. Hebard: I was like, she's always yelling! His sister, Sabrina, is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) professional). She was named the McDonald's All-America game MVP after scoring a record 25 points, including seven three-pointers, with 10 rebounds. And he came, and his voice was shaking because I had like 10 minutes to decide and I hadn't decided. Fell straight down. 3 Oregon arrives for the first time at Gampel Pavilion for a matchup against No. Ionescu, meanwhile, stars for the New York Liberty. Graves: We had a chance. So I figured that if I could rebound, I would be able to get the ball myself. 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. Eddy: At that time, I didn't know or she didn't know whether she was gonna leave for the WNBA. Related Accounts. Growing up, they'd even speak in. Taurasi: Maybe your parents don't necessarily speak English really well when you're a kid, and you may have to do some things other kids don't. Sabrina Ionescu only played two full games before her first WNBA season came to a devastating halt. Sabrina was only three years old when she chose basketball for her free time. Show More Posts from sabrina_i. 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.". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It's awesome to be part of a team that has accomplished that. Sabrina Ionescu and her father Dan Ionescu (Source: OregonLive) 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: Sabrina doesn't really like to follow the way regular people do it. Hroniss Grasu, Sabrina's partner, is a well-known free agency football center who has experience playing for several clubs, including the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers. Sabrina Ionescu Net Worth. Why is she not starting?" Sabrina is 18 minutes older than Eddy. She also posted seven double-doubles, ranked third in the Pac-12 and 29th in the NCAA with 183 assists on the year. In a November exhibition game, she has 30 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Ducks to a stunning 93-86 victory over the U.S. women's national team, which features her heroes and soon-to-be WNBA peers like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Like. Her first language . Sabrina: Coming into college, I never ran a ball screen in my life, and that's what our entire offense was. After two years at the City College of San Francisco, Eddy transfers to Oregon, and he and Sabrina become roommates. So I didn't post anything. The Ducks then went 31-2 in 2019-20 with Ionescu. Like [laughs], why's she yelling at open gym? I didn't tell anyone. He and Sabrina stay connected through the Bay Area community and its youth basketball scene. 1 in W.N.B.A. I mean, none of us had been in that position. Graves: There are nights when I can tell she's going to get a triple-double. As a sophomore in 201314, Ionescu helped her team to a 302 record.[9]. Sabrina: We would stay in the park for hours while our parents worked. Sabrina: Growing up, I loved having role models and being able to look up to Steph and Kobe and players like that for inspiration. Eddy: Kobe's just wired different is what she told me. 213,394 likes. And then we kind of just sat down and discussed what her next plan was. She posted a triple-double in the championship game loss to Chaminade with 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. If we ever needed a player, I would just look at Sabrina. [7], Ionescu was four-year varsity basketball letter winner at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California under head coach Kelly Sopak.[8]. The fact he was so angry and so aggressive with that. Playing people for money, for Slurpees, whatever it was. So we were kind of just banking that it was gonna be her last year. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. You just see it's a little bit different in her preparation, in her focus, in her manner. Seriously, word-for-word." We let Oregon down in some way, because we had such high expectations for ourselves. [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. Sabrina: I just don't really like to be out there like that. What's next for the prodigious point guard with a penchant for pushing life-altering decisions to the last possible moment? 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".