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. . She was diagnosed the next day with a[42] grade 3 sprain, and was expected to miss about one month while recovering. Holly Andres for ESPN. "Sabrina Ionescu - Forbes 30 Under 30 Profile". Those are probably my two favorite players. 1 ranked point guard and No. 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. Videos Tagged. [47] Ionescu had never before played under FIBA 3x3 rules, admitting after the tournament, "I had to ask the rules before the games started. Emma Reed contributed to this report. She debuted for Oregon in November 2016, scoring 11 points in a win over Lamar. Sabrina Ionescu makes WNBA single-season history New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu made history Saturday night, becoming the first WNBA player to eclipse 500 points, 200 rebounds and 2.. Also Read: Was Karl Malone Arrested For Rape Allegations? [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. 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. Stanley, Read More Stanley Wilson Jr Wife Was He Married? Her soon-to-be favorite player entered the league in 2009, when the Warriors used the No. There weren't many girls' programs for her as she was growing up, but she found a way to continue to improve and pushed herself to be the best. [52] Ionescu is also very close friends with former teammate Ruthy Hebard. 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. Dan, Sabrina's father: [The twins] always felt comfort with each other. Ten years ago, Sabrina Ionescu hadn't yet turned the basketball world on its head. 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. She then joined the City College of San Francisco but later transferred to the University of Oregon. 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. At the time, she was the highest-ranked recruit ever to commit to Oregon basketball. Sabrina has 2 siblings: a twin brother, Edward, who was born 18 minutes after her, and an older brother, Andrei. 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. Sabrina: I don't really think I grasped what it would be like. 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's Oregon's first triple-double since 1988. 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. Sabrina Ionescu Popularity . I just walked into the locker room and knew we won. Heading into her junior season, Sabrina has 10 triple-doubles in her career. Id play P-I-G, collect the money, Slurpees.. So I didn't post anything. The following year, Sabrina leads the Pac-12 in points and assists, and the Ducks earn a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft to the Liberty. Kind of like describing Sue [Bird]. 4 overall player in the recruiting class of 2016. Likewise, she attended Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. Sabrina Ionescu is the first NCAA player EVER with 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds! Sabrina's like that to this day. Ionescu's friends and family were excited to congratulate the athlete. The Ducks make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years, as a 10-seed. [10] Ionescu also made a first half buzzer beating shot from half court. My family has always been there for inspiration to keep pushing and one day become a WNBA player.". Eddy Ionescu, a professional basketball player with the New York Liberty, is Sabrina Ionescu's brother. Eddy is also a basketball player. As a freshman at Oregon, she recorded four triple-doubles and was named USBWA National Freshman of the Year. Just show the world what we can do a little more. In May 2021, she recorded her first professional triple-double with 12 assists, 26 points, and ten rebounds. She is the daughter of Romanian-American parents. 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. Her two brothers are. Children Age And Net WorthContinue, Joki Octaviano Accident caused death after having life-threatening injuries. 1 by New York Liberty in WNBA draft, while Gianna Bryant is an honorary pick . Playing him was not always easy, but I do improve because he's harder to play. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty. I don't think his mom really appreciated that. He also appeared in games against Utah, Oregon State, and California. "There won't be another group like this ever.". When I found out Sabrina had a twin brother, Eddy, I immediately knew I wanted to interview them together because they . I thought it was, like, freshman duties or something. She has two brothers: twin brother Edward and another Andrei Ionescu. While everyone knows that Ionescu is a baller and can compete with the best of the best on the basketball court, some might not know that she actually has a twin brother who also plays basketball. [1] However, believing that she had "unfinished business" at Oregon, she chose to come back for her senior season. Eddy: At that time, I didn't know or she didn't know whether she was gonna leave for the WNBA. Basketball Player Born in California #37. She takes to heart what people say, their comments. Her father, Dan Ionescu, fled communist Romania around the time of the 1989 revolution, seeking political asylum in the United States. 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. Like [laughs], why's she yelling at open gym? Eddy: It was always kind of on the basketball court when we fought. Eddy: Whether she would bust my lip, or I hit her in the nose on accident, or whatever it was, we would absolutely play through the blood. It allowed me to push her more than I could push any other player to be great. [28] This announcement came shortly after Ionescu accepted a place in a newly launched one-year master's degree program in brand creation in UO's School of Journalism and Communications. Cinematography by Monica May; Movement Coaching by Duray Thirdgill; Prop Styling by Dan Jesperson; Production by Amy Ground; Hair & Makeup by Celena Rubin. Carlos Serrao for ESPN. Her 1.93-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was second-best in the Pac-12. We were always so competitive, and I think it's 'cause we were the same age. And so he starts bawling, and then I start crying. In late April 2018, Ionescu and Oregon teammates Erin Boley, Otiona Gildon, and Ruthy Hebard entered the USA Basketball women's national 3x3 championship tournament at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She completed her high school education in Miramonte, California, before attending the University of Oregon in Oregon. Sabrina Ionescu Net Worth. Sabrina is expected to be the No. The twin brother Edward (Eddy) was born 18 minutes after her. That same day, Ionescu flies to the Bay Area for a game against Stanford. She was named the McDonald's All-America game MVP after scoring a record 25 points, including seven three-pointers, with 10 rebounds. They would compete against older men at the basketball court to win extra . And so I was like, "All right, well this is my chance, I'm going to say something.". . On the morning of Jan. 26, 2020, the sports world stands still when news breaks that Kobe and Gigi Bryant are among the nine passengers killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Ionescu's Oregon Ducks also won the Pac-12 championship for the first time since 2000. 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). 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 Elaine Ionescu is an American basketball . Sabrina was born in Walnut Creek, California, on December 6, 1997. Sabrina Ionescu- Professional Life, Career, Awards "My Romanian heritage influences my life on a daily basis and is something that I find pride in," she says. Case UpdateContinue, Stanley Wilson Jr Wife does not exist, as the player was single till his death. Sabrina is a basketball player now engaged with the former American football player Hroniss Grasu. I think he's her lock screen right now actually. Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj, her proud parents, welcomed her into the world. When she's losing a game, you do not talk to her. The Ionescus have certainly made a name for themselves in the basketball world. [19] Twelve days later, she would tie the NCAA triple-double record, with her 12th triple-double in a win against Buffalo. 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. Like. . 213,394 likes. She'll turn over right . Sabrina Ionescu is an American basketball star, who plays for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Sabrina enrolls at Oregon and for the first time lives apart from Eddy, who stays in the Bay Area and enrolls at City College of San Francisco. Basketball fans are more curious to know is Sabrina Ionescu gay or not. I was crying, my family was upset. 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. 1 in W.N.B.A. That's all I said. Maybe that's what drives her. Also, people are curious to know more about her partner, parents and family. Sabrina Ionescu is an American personality who is a professional basketball player and is committed to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) playing for the New York Liberty. And so I had to learn how to use the ball screens and all the frustration that comes with that. 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. You just walk away, you mind your own business. Playing people for money, for Slurpees, whatever it was. She needs to be playing on that kind of a stage. Christie Hemm Klok for ESPN. Sabrina was only three years old when she chose basketball for her free time. She has played in three games with the Liberty so far. Dan: She would start, a minute here, minute there when a kid was not there. Playing basketball with her older brother, Andrei, and her twin brother, Eddy, had taught her the joy of clawing for every rebound, every point. 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. Additionally, she was awarded the USBWA National Freshman of the Year presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association. Miramonte goes 119-9 during Sabrina's tenure, and she sets the school record with 2,606 points. 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. Major is general social science. Before she was born, her family fled Romania during the communist revolution, and Sabrina and her twin brother Eddy were born in Walnut Creek, California on Dec. 6, 1997. It's awesome to be part of a team that has accomplished that. Ionescu also played for the University of Oregons womens basketball team. We lost nine games while she was in high school. Sabrina Ionescu and longtime beau Hroniss Grasu are "finally" getting married! These are things that kids can acquire; they don't have to be born with those things. 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. I know on one Instagram post she kind of talked about, you know, "I let my basketball do the cooking," or whatever the case. Namrata is an enthusiastic CSIT student. Indeed her legacy at Oregon had already been written. Graves' remarks about Ionescu's future iconic status at Oregon proved to be prophetic. Like his sister Sabrina, Edward plays basketball for the NCAA's Oregon Ducks. Sabrina, his sister, plays professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). 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 . I think she kind of wanted to do it at her own pace. . Sopak: Even at that age she just had this swagger about her. [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 Ionescu. 107 posts. In her senior year, she led Miramonte to the CIF open division title game after averaging 25.3 points, 8.8 assists, 7.6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Ionescu also helped lead the Ducks to the Final Four in 2018-19. Whoever came walking up to the park, we're like, "All right, we'll pick on this guy." He, Read More Rob Herring Wife: Who Is Nicola Herring? Sabrina dedicated her season -- and everything that comes after -- to her mentor, Kobe Bryant. 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]. In her career, Ionescu was the first player in NCAA history (male or female) to score 2,000 career points and have 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career assists. Not only were they difficult to guard while growing up, but they also, at times, communicated in fluent Romanian, according to The Oregonian. Christie Hemm Klok for ESPN. [41], On August 1, 2020, Ionescu injured her left ankle in the second quarter against the Atlanta Dream. I appreciated it. It's like, we're in for something special tonight. The talented professional basketball player Sabrina has been the subject of rumors regarding her sexual orientation. [1], Because Ionescu turned 22 in December 2019 she was eligible to declare for the 2019 WNBA draft. Hebard: She loves Steph Curry. And she usually delivers. She's not the biggest, quickest, fastest, strongest. 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. [28], On April 17, 2020, the New York Liberty selected Ionescu with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Sabrina Ionescu only played two full games before her first WNBA season came to a devastating halt. Hebard: When they came out with the draft, I texted her. In 2012, Sabrina and Eddy enroll at Miramonte High School, where Sopak coaches. As a result, she became the youngest player in WNBA history to achieve a triple-double. I'm torn.". Ionescu also recorded her eighth triple-double of the season, tying her own NCAA single-season record from last season.