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. Eddy: That was probably one of her biggest lows. Ionescus impressive performances throughout college included one Pac-12 record, two less than the NCAA record, and four triple-doubles. We lost nine games while she was in high school. Sabrina Ionescu and longtime beau Hroniss Grasu are "finally" getting married! Sabrina: I remember I was in the front yard with Eddy, and he was like, "My left hand's better than yours." Blog . Everyone was so much faster and quicker. Liliana Blaj, Sabrina's mother: She's the hardest self-critic. [50], * 2020 NCAA tournament canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic, Ionescu is a Christian. She takes to heart what people say, their comments. [My family] saw the pros in both decisions, and they just told me, "The decision is yours, do what you want, we support you." 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. There'd be fights. Bryant narrates a Detail episode praising her physicality, court awareness and midrange game. Like Ionescu - who used to hustle grown men for Slurpee money alongside her twin brother - Taurasi is deeply, almost scarily competitive. What high school did Sabrina Ionescu go to? [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. We drove up here, walked in, surprised [coach] Kelly Graves. 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. There is no related content available. Later that month, Ionescu, Auriemma and Taurasi are among the eight people to speak at the Los Angeles memorial honoring Kobe and Gigi Bryant. Dan, Sabrina's father:[The twins] always felt comfort with each other. It was tough being there and it was tough having to play a top-five matchup right after that. 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". 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 . Edward has also developed into a basketball player who is involved with various national teams. She has two brothers: twin brother Edward and another Andrei Ionescu. I just know she doesn't like to lose, and that's, you know, it's her biggest strength, but it's also her biggest weakness. So I didn't post anything. I was like, "I just don't know. Sabrina: My dad would try to coach from the stands, and he'd yell stuff in Romanian to me. The great ones are like that. Ionescus stellar play in college led to her becoming the No. 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. Sabrina Ionescu's Family Background Explored. She then joined the City College of San Francisco but later transferred to the University of Oregon. 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 . She averaged 14.6 points per game to go with 6.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists as she was the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and ESPNWs National Freshman of the Year, according to Oregons team site. Sabrina's ancestry is Romanian-Caucasian and has a twin brother, Edward. Earlier in the season, Sabrina watched the video her father took of her young self making that Toastmasters speech about her basketball dreams. [Her parents] never questioned anything. They used to play football and basketball for college-level games. Dan: She would start, a minute here, minute there when a kid was not there. My family has always been there for inspiration to keep pushing and one day become a WNBA player.". And so he starts bawling, and then I start crying. So I just remember, I said, "I'm going to stay." It was part introduction and part prophecy. And now I use my left hand more than my right. She has no clue, and we're trying to talk about the pros and the cons. 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. Things were just happening too quickly for them and for her. You just walk away, you mind your own business. 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. Joki was a Pilipino motorbike enthusiast who, Read More Joki Octaviano Accident And Cause Of Death How Did He Die? 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. I felt like I completely let the team down. 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. Sabrina: What we've been building these last couple of years goes to show women's basketball is valued. "She's a legend in her own right, that's for sure." Additionally, she was awarded the USBWA National Freshman of the Year presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association. Eddy Ionescu, Sabrina's twin brother, was born just 18 minutes after her in 1997. I would just have to find ways to impact the game other than shooting or scoring, and that was passing. 7 overall pick to draft sharp-shooter Stephen Curry from Davidson College. 706K followers. When I was younger, I was always playing with the guys, and I had to find ways to get the ball, because they never wanted to pass to me. I took Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, Cal. Doesn't work. She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. [Laughs], Seattle or Eugene? No posts yet. 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. People were crying and just so sad. Hebard: I was like, she's always yelling! Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj, her proud parents, welcomed her into the world. We'd do whatever we could in order to win something. Ionescu recorded four triple-doubles, one shy of the Pac-12 record and two less than the NCAA record. 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. The scrappy kid from the Bay Area has risen to become the most formidable player in her sport. 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.. Just like he saw it in me. Every time I stood up, everyone in unison would be like, "basketball." I didn't even look at the papers because I thought he just wanted me to hold them. Eddy Ionescu, aka Edward 'Vortex' Ionescu, followed the same path as her sister and is a professional basketball player like her sister. She was named the McDonald's All-America game MVP after scoring a record 25 points, including seven three-pointers, with 10 rebounds. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. I used my older brother as inspiration to keep improving. She also posted seven double-doubles, ranked third in the Pac-12 and 29th in the NCAA with 183 assists on the year. [51] She was close with Kobe Bryant, with whom she had one-on-one training sessions, and spoke at the Kobe & Gianna Bryant Celebration of Life at the Staples Center on February 24, 2020. Everyone's watching us. The Ionescus have certainly made a name for themselves in the basketball world. November 11, 2022 New York Liberty guard, Sabrina Ionescu rejoins her alma mater as the director of athletic culture. I gained a lot of experience playing on my brothers' 10-foot hoop. [1], Because Ionescu turned 22 in December 2019 she was eligible to declare for the 2019 WNBA draft. If we ever needed a player, I would just look at Sabrina. 3 Stanford", "Sabrina Ionescu's career night leads Oregon past Stanford", "Ionescu Breaks Assist Record in Civil War Win, Ducks 76 Beavers 64", "Oregon Ducks women: Ionescu and Hebard reach milestones in lopsided victory", "Gary Payton congratulates Sabrina Ionescu on breaking his Pac-12 all-time assists record", "Sabrina Ionescu Adds Career Milestone in Win vs. UCLA", "Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu Named Honda Sport Award Winner for Basketball", "WNBA mock draft 2019: Predicting all three rounds", "Liberty Select Sabrina Ionescu No.