Eddy is also a basketball player. 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. And now I use my left hand more than my right. She is the daughter of Romanian-American parents. Later, he was transferred to Oregon Ducks and played for them like his sister. We'd do whatever we could in order to win something. Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates after a game against Mississippi State during the 2019 NCAA women's tournament. Eddy: Sabrina doesn't really like to follow the way regular people do it. They would compete against older men at the basketball court to win extra money. After an. She was an Oregon Ducks basketball player in college. Sabrina's ancestry is Romanian-Caucasian and has a twin brother, Edward. 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. Everything was fair game. The WNBA. "It's unfortunate we didn't get to see them in the tournament. Sabrina: Work ethic and dedication, I learned that from my parents. She becomes friends with Kobe, who mentors her, and with his daughter Gianna and her Mamba teammates. 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. 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. We let Oregon down in some way, because we had such high expectations for ourselves. On Feb. 3, with so many still in mourning, No. It's crazy to see everything come full circle and see how young I was and the dreams that I had and Whether it was our chores, whether it was our homework, whether it was eating dinner, racing to whoever can get in bed first. Eddy has since joined Oregons team. "Sabrina Ionescu joins Oregon Ducks in part-time role". Ionescu comes close to another triple-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. And All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu is feeling as healthy and energized as she has since she joined the Liberty as the No. "Not many . Id play P-I-G, collect the money, Slurpees.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Rob Herring Wife: Who Is Nicola Herring? The Ducks then went 31-2 in 2019-20 with Ionescu. Eddy Ionescu, aka Edward 'Vortex' Ionescu, followed the same path as her sister and is a professional basketball player like her sister. Indeed her legacy at Oregon had already been written. At the end of the regular season, she was named Pac-12 Freshmen of the Year and unanimous First Team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection. Her father, Dan Ionescu, fled communist Romania around the time of the 1989 revolution, seeking political asylum in the United States. Sabrina: Growing up, I loved having role models and being able to look up to Steph and Kobe and players like that for inspiration. Ionescu won almost all the possible National Player of the Year awards, including the John R. Wooden Award, Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, ESPY for Top Female College Athlete and ESPN.com National Player of the Year. People were crying and just so sad. She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She has a twin brother named Eddy who played basketball at City College of San Francisco. "She's an unbelievable talent on that team," Curry would go on to say in a Warriors news conference. 2 Duke en route to an improbable Elite Eight matchup against top-seeded UConn. Most Popular #24328. [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. The New York Liberty guard, 25, shared on Saturday that she and the Las Vegas Raiders center, 31, are set to wed. "It . Sabrina Ionescu is ready for a full season in the WNBA after an injury-shortened rookie year. I was hoping, and I felt like, OK, she's got something to prove and she would like to come back. Sabrina: His mom came onto the court, and then they both got ejected. In March, the 31-2 Ducks are poised for a 1-seed and deep run in the NCAA tournament. Miramonte goes 119-9 during Sabrina's tenure, and she sets the school record with 2,606 points. [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]. That same day, Ionescu flies to the Bay Area for a game against Stanford. [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]. I think she has a chance to really change the game and the way the game is viewed by everybody. I thought it was, like, freshman duties or something. Graves: She takes it to heart. Seven years later, Ionescu and her twin brother, Eddy, were born. 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. Eddy Ionescu, sometimes known as Edward "Vortex" Ionescu, is a professional basketball player like her sister and followed a similar career. [Laughs] I think she learns a lot from them, which is really cool, and she definitely brings back stuff to share with the team. Ionescu also shares her knowledge with boys and girls at camps and academies, including Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy. She then joined the City College of San Francisco but later transferred to the University of Oregon. And I was like, "I'm by the hotel here." That's what I admire most about her. Sabrina Ionescu and brother Eddy are born on Dec. 6, 1997, to Romanian immigrant parents in Walnut Creek, California. But then I got to know her, of course, and just know she's so competitive and always wants to win. 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. 1 overall WNBA pick and owns too many UO program records to count. He drove to my house to pick me up [Sabrina's parents had divorced], not knowing whether we were going to drive to U-Dub or Oregon. 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. Sabrina Ionescu and longtime beau Hroniss Grasu are "finally" getting married! She was named the McDonald's All-America game MVP after scoring a record 25 points, including seven three-pointers, with 10 rebounds. She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. 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. . They own and run the "Greco's New York Pizzeria," a pizza restaurant located on Hollywood Boulevard. Edward has also developed into a basketball player who is involved with various national teams. Graves: We had a chance. Like his sister Sabrina, Edward plays basketball for the NCAA's Oregon Ducks. Hebard: I was like, she's always yelling! These are things that kids can acquire; they don't have to be born with those things. I had to let her be, just because I knew her draft decision was coming up. Sopak: The biggest challenge she has now is overcoming losing. As a sophomore in 201314, Ionescu helped her team to a 302 record.[9]. She has no clue, and we're trying to talk about the pros and the cons. Edward, born on December 6, 1997, is only 18 minutes older than his sister. Sopak: The car was packed and they didn't know which direction they were going. As Sabrina processes her grief, she dedicates her season and everything that comes next to Kobe. Sabrina, his sister, plays professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Nothing is ever given to us now. His parents, tefan and Mariana Grasu, migrated from Romania to the USA in 1982. Related Accounts. I do thorough research before writing and am always up-to-date on new technologies. I'm kind of a procrastinator, so I let it get to like an hour before I had to decide. 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. She completed her high school education in Miramonte, California, before attending the University of Oregon in Oregon. She has a twin brother Edward ("Eddy"), who was born 18 minutes after her. Sabrina Ionescu- Professional Life, Career, Awards [49] At the World Cup, they were the youngest team in the field, but swept their pool, defeating Cup holders Russia along the way. There is no related content available. The Ionescus have certainly made a name for themselves in the basketball world. Sabrina is expected to be the No. As the years passed, the game respected her wishes. Dan, Sabrina's father:[The twins] always felt comfort with each other. He has an older brother named Nico, who was a placekicker for Washington State from 2008 to 2010. He and Sabrina stay connected through the Bay Area community and its youth basketball scene. With Oregon poised for a No. Dan, Sabrina's father: [The twins] always felt comfort with each other. He just eats, sleeps, loves everything about basketball, which is literally the same thing with her. 707K followers. There was no celebration; Ionescu went home to the apartment across the street from Oregon's basketball facility that she shares with her twin brother, Eddy. Sabrina was only three years old when she chose basketball for her free time. November 11, 2022 New York Liberty guard, Sabrina Ionescu rejoins her alma mater as the director of athletic culture. Her name hadn't yet become synonymous with the term "triple-double." New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Sets Multiple WNBA Records in Historic Game Among the first was her friend Vanessa. The Nike Air Zoom GT Cut 2 "Sabrina Ionescu" sneaker edition is slated to be launched on October 13, 2022. Id play H-O-R-S-E, collect the money, Slurpees. And nothing was ever given to us as kids. I was crying, my family was upset. Eddy Ionescu, Sabrina's twin brother, was born just 18 minutes after her in 1997. I think she kind of wanted to do it at her own pace. 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. Kind of like describing Sue [Bird]. So Sabrina always kept her shoes with her when we went to Eddy's games. 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. He noted that attendance at Oregon women's games had dramatically increased during Ionescu's career at the school. Namrata is an enthusiastic CSIT student. 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. Having kids come up to me after the game and just talk to me, wearing my jersey some are shaking and just super excited to meet me is awesome and humbling. He, Read More Rob Herring Wife: Who Is Nicola Herring? [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. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament. Months go by. Cinematography by Monica May; Movement Coaching by Duray Thirdgill; Prop Styling by Dan Jesperson; Production by Amy Ground; Hair & Makeup by Celena Rubin. 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. They would compete against older men at the basketball court to win extra . The Ducks make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years, as a 10-seed. They make it to the Elite Eight again before falling to eventual champion Notre Dame. 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. Children Age And Net Worth, Joki Octaviano Accident And Cause Of Death How Did He Die? Athlete #20 @nike 24 2. On April 14, 2020, Ionescu was named the winner of the Honda Sports Award as the best collegiate female basketball player in the nation. Because they knew exactly how it was gonna start. She absolutely killed it that game. 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 worked at it. Sabrina Ionescu is one of the most highly touted college players to ever get drafted into the WNBA. Sabrina: Obviously that was tough. We couldn't hear ourselves, we couldn't hear our coach, just because of how many fans were there. 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. Hebard: She's always mad at herself if we lose, but I think we were all just bummed and upset and crying. In the postgame interview, she calls out ESPN: "It probably still won't get recognized because ESPN never recognizes women's sports. Sabrina, at the memorial: If I represented the women's game, Gigi was the future, and Kobe knew it. So I didn't post anything. Her two brothers are. She broke the NCAA triple-double record for womens and mens basketball. One of those struggles comes in the playoffs later that season, in a semifinal game against Saint Mary's. Those are probably my two favorite players. I had this poem book, and we had to write poems for an entire year. Basketball fans are more curious to know is Sabrina Ionescu gay or not. So I figured that if I could rebound, I would be able to get the ball myself. 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. She takes to heart what people say, their comments. Kobe was helping her with that because he saw it in her. At first he was a little skeptical. Sabrina: That's all I talked about. First Name Sabrina #9. NBA stars like Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant take notice of Sabrina's game. 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). Her first language . 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. Eddy just finished his redshirt junior season at Oregon. As a freshman at Oregon, she recorded four triple-doubles and was named USBWA National Freshman of the Year. Her twin is Edward Ionescu also referred to as Eddy. 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." 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. And so for days on end, I didn't use my right hand once. Her father's name is Dan Ionescu who fled Communist Romania around the time of the 1989 revolution. Ionescu's friends and family were excited to congratulate the athlete. While we wait and wonder about what will be, we reflect on the moments and milestones that have already been. 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 has 2 siblings: a twin brother, Edward, who was born 18 minutes after her, and an older brother, Andrei. I did not cry. Like. Hebard: When they came out with the draft, I texted her. Eddy Ionescu, a professional basketball player with the New York Liberty, is Sabrina Ionescu's brother. Geno Auriemma, UConn coach: When she was a freshman, we overwhelmed them. What's next for the prodigious point guard with a penchant for pushing life-altering decisions to the last possible moment? His sister, Sabrina, is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) professional). 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. So I just remember, I said, "I'm going to stay." 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft taking place this Friday, April 17. Talking about her academics, she attended Miramonte High School from 2012 to 2016. The referee came over, ejected him, and Sabrina just got up and started clapping in his face. You know, post their top-fives in Instagram and Twitter and let everyone know. Ionescu recorded four triple-doubles, one shy of the Pac-12 record and two less than the NCAA record. His vision for me was way bigger than my own. The card a 2020 Panini. A Big 3 of Jones, Stewart and Ionescu would. I feel like that's definitely something that she'll leave behind, that's going to motivate the younger generation. No posts yet. 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. A lot of the Pac-12 schools, just 'cause I knew I kind of wanted to stay closer to home. Sabrina logged 15.0 points per game in her career and 17.4 in 2022 through 36 games thus far this season. Sabrina is known for her exceptional skills and accomplishments in college and professional basketball. Ionescu attended a middle school that did not have enough players to field a girls' team, and her school refused to allow her to play on the boys' team. Sabrina: They were coming to win that game, not by one or two points. With the eight she'll add in her third year in college, she will become the NCAA leader in triple-doubles. Now, almost a full year later, the 23-year-old New York Liberty superstar thinks she deserves a new rookie . [7] However, she had difficulty making a college choice, not signing a National Letter of Intent with any school during either the early signing period in November 2015 or the late period in April 2016. So we decided to build a future together. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I applaud her. I felt more alone. They just cheered for the team and cheered for Sabrina. She embarked on a historic career with the Ducks and eventually became the No. Her elder brother is Andrei Ionescu. Ionescu was one of the top college basketball players in the country starting in her very first college season. The following year, Sabrina leads the Pac-12 in points and assists, and the Ducks earn a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament. We drove up here, walked in, surprised [coach] Kelly Graves. Ionescu left Miramonte with a career winloss record of 1199 and a school-record 2,606 points scored. He was always super supportive and was like, "Don't worry, keep getting in the gym, keep getting extra shots.". And she usually delivers. He'd come to visit, but not having him always to talk to in person was a lot different for me. He also appeared in games against Utah, Oregon State, and California. Ten years ago, Sabrina Ionescu hadn't yet turned the basketball world on its head. She averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, ranking second on the team in scoring and rebounding, and first in assists. The Ducks lead by a point after the first half, but strong post play propels the Bears, who hold Ionescu scoreless in the fourth quarter to win 72-67. Sopak: Sabrina didn't start until halfway through her freshman year, and 99 out of 100 parents would have been calling a meeting saying, "My daughter's the best player on the floor. Graves: She claims that she thought I cried. It's the Ducks' first trip to Storrs, where 11 national championship banners hang in the legendary arena. 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]. They never took anything for granted, especially starting warm-ups. 4 overall player in the recruiting class of 2016. 1 defensive team. Hebard: She loves Steph Curry. Every time I stood up, everyone in unison would be like, "basketball." Sabrina Ionescu had 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists Sunday to lead Oregon to an 88-84 win over Mississippi State in the Portland Regional final at Moda Center. [Her parents] never questioned anything. If he won, we'd play again. Her two brothers were a big help in developing her basketball skills. I think he almost started crying, gave me a hug, everyone was super happy, and then I started school the next day. "There won't be another group like this ever.". But when she was a kid, she and her twin brother, Eddy Ionescu, would channel the future Oregon Duck's on-court flair for a far less righteous end goal. Sagittarius . After they went 23-14 in 2016-17, Oregon went 33-5 in 2017-18 and 2018-19. It was hard. Edward has also developed . I just walked into the locker room and knew we won. Sabrina: I took a few unofficials. 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. Liliana Blaj calls her daughter "the hardest self-critic. In her second WNBA game on July 29 against the Dallas Wings, she recorded 33 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. As a senior, Ionescu averaged 17.5 points per game, 9.1 assists, and 8.6 rebounds. Too nervous to sleep. The well-known WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu's twin brother is Eddy Ionescu. 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 . Then he said, "That's really impressive, that hasn't been done a lot," and walked out. Death Cause And Mental Health, Katrina Gorry Partner Clara Markstedt Is A Soccer Player Children and Age Revealed, Aaron Nesmith Brother Eddie Nesmith, Parents Girlfriend And Instagram, Demetress Bell Wife Is He Married?