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]. Eddy is also a basketball player. 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. 4 Stanford. But if I did, they were only tears of joy. So we decided to build a future together. I had this poem book, and we had to write poems for an entire year. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty. Dan, Sabrina's father: [The twins] always felt comfort with each other. 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." NBA stars like Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant take notice of Sabrina's game. She was born to proud and supportive parents, Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj. [36] Ten days later in the Ducks' 7466 win at #4 Stanford, she became the first NCAA player ever with 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in a career. And he definitely helped me with that, growing up. On December 6, 1997, Sabrina Ionescu was born in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California. The couple used to study at the same college University of Oregon. Sabrina Elaine Ionescu is an American basketball . Sabrina has 2 siblings: a twin brother, Edward, who was born 18 minutes after her, and an older brother, Andrei. As the years passed, the game respected her wishes. The WNBA draft order is released in September, and the New York Liberty draw the top pick. The couple recently got engaged on January 20, 2023, and Ionescu even shared a photo from their engagement on her Instagram account. She debuted for Oregon in November 2016, scoring 11 points in a win over Lamar. 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). Case Update, Stanley Wilson Jr Wife Was He Married? Sabrina has 2 siblings: a twin brother, Edward, who was born 18 minutes after her, and an older brother, Andrei. We lost nine games while she was in high school. I was happy that she pushed back. 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. 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. Ruthy Hebard, Sabrina's Oregon teammate and best friend: Right off the bat, she was a leader. 6 Oregon women's basketball past No. More importantly, he didn't just show up in my life and leave -- he stayed. Sabrina gets her first collegiate triple-double just seven games into her Oregon career, in a 91-62 victory over San Jose State. At the time, she was the highest-ranked recruit ever to commit to Oregon basketball. She's not the biggest, quickest, fastest, strongest. As a sophomore in 201314, Ionescu helped her team to a 302 record.[9]. Her twin is Edward Ionescu also referred to as Eddy. Carlos Serrao for ESPN. Liliana Blaj calls her daughter "the hardest self-critic. Her parents fled Romania during the 1989 revolution and sought political asylum in the U.S., raising Ionescu, her twin brother and older brother in Walnut Creek, California. [Her parents] never questioned anything. People were crying and just so sad. And now I use my left hand more than my right. Sabrina: Growing up, I loved having role models and being able to look up to Steph and Kobe and players like that for inspiration. No posts yet. 2 Duke en route to an improbable Elite Eight matchup against top-seeded UConn. Hebard: She's always mad at herself if we lose, but I think we were all just bummed and upset and crying. [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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Inhale, exhale. Id play P-I-G, collect the money, Slurpees.. Ionescu also helped lead the Ducks to the Final Four in 2018-19. She has a twin brother Edward ("Eddy"), who was born 18 minutes after her. 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. My dad had no idea. Eddy: We competed in everything. Ionescu has been in a relationship with her boyfriend, Hroniss Grasu, for a long time. She was an Oregon Ducks basketball player in college. [29], In the second game of her senior season on November 13, 2019, Ionescu surpassed the 2,000 points, 800 assists mark for her college career with a 10952 win over Utah State. Geno Auriemma, UConn coach: When she was a freshman, we overwhelmed them. 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. They upset No. She is clearly in a happy relationship with Grasu and is excited to take the next step in their journey together. Ionescu's Oregon Ducks also won the Pac-12 championship for the first time since 2000. She always wanted to learn and to go to every game she could -- college, NBA, WNBA. [1], Because Ionescu turned 22 in December 2019 she was eligible to declare for the 2019 WNBA draft. She was born with her twin brother named Edward also called Eddy, who was born only 18 minutes after the birth of Sabrina. The Ducks had a lot of success with Ionescu too. Draft", "07/29/20: New York Liberty @ Dallas Wings", "Your Day in Women's Basketball, October 12: Sabrina Ionescu is ready to ball", "New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu leaves game after ankle injury", "What Sabrina Ionescu's injury means for her rookie season and the New York Liberty", "Ionescu Records Liberty's First-Ever Triple Double", "Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu records first 30-point triple-double in WNBA history in win over Aces", "Oregon Ducks Take USA Basketball Women's 3x3 National Championship Title", "Sabrina Ionescu leads Oregon to USA 3-on-3 national championship", "Oregon players to represent U.S. in FIBA 3x3 World Cup", "Don't call them kids they just swept their pool at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2018", "Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu wins PAC-12 Player of the Year while playing for Christ", "Sabrina Ionescu: 5 Facts About Superstar Picked No. One of the most electric basketball players in the world (man or woman) is the WNBA star, Sabrina Ionescu. Source: Forbes I gained a lot of experience playing on my brothers' 10-foot hoop. Dan: She would start, a minute here, minute there when a kid was not there. With Oregon poised for a No. Sabrina Ionescu- Professional Life, Career, Awards Dan: She will not back down from anything, and he will not back down from anything. She posted a triple-double in the championship game loss to Chaminade with 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Additionally, she would receive her bachelor's degree that June. Joki was a Pilipino motorbike enthusiast who, Read More Joki Octaviano Accident And Cause Of Death How Did He Die? It was hard. Sagittarius . Yeah, she doesn't miss free throws very often anymore. Her father's name is Dan Ionescu who fled Communist Romania around the time of the 1989 revolution. She brought one of Kobe's books into the locker room, and we all looked at it. Sabrina's like that to this day. They broke down the game, and then. In 2012, Sabrina and Eddy enroll at Miramonte High School, where Sopak coaches. The junior is a brilliant mentor in the University of Oregon community, a strong Christian, a . Sopak: The biggest challenge she has now is overcoming losing. She has 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the third-ranked Ducks' 74-66 win over No. You know, post their top-fives in Instagram and Twitter and let everyone know. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Also, people are curious to know more about her partner, parents and family. 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. Because I think it would have been a really special run," Graves says in a news conference. I went on a walk and just tried to clear my mind to figure out what I wanted to do. They just cheered for the team and cheered for Sabrina. Follow. Everyone's watching us. Graves: She commands and demands and deserves the respect that she's been given. 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. Months go by. She was named the winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top Division I women's point guard after the season,[15] and was also a finalist for the Naismith Award. The WNBA. Everything was fair game. He just eats, sleeps, loves everything about basketball, which is literally the same thing with her. 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 Ionescu has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager. Eddy: That was probably one of her biggest lows. 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. Also Read:Tyrese Haliburton Sister, Who Are His Siblings? She's worked at it. What's next for the prodigious point guard with a penchant for pushing life-altering decisions to the last possible moment? When I found out Sabrina had a twin brother, Eddy, I immediately knew I wanted to interview them together because they . Too nervous to sleep. 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. And that fourth quarter, we just didn't shoot the ball well. [13], Ionescu rose to national prominence in her sophomore year, she led the Ducks to their third regular-season league crown all-time and first-ever No. [3] Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. 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. So I figured that if I could rebound, I would be able to get the ball myself. As a kid, Ionescu was always competitive, playing sports with and against her twin brother Eddy. Videos Tagged. I was hoping, and I felt like, OK, she's got something to prove and she would like to come back. Playing basketball with her older brother, Andrei, and her twin brother, Eddy, had taught her the joy of clawing for every rebound, every point. Why is she not starting?" 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. Ten years ago, Sabrina Ionescu hadn't yet turned the basketball world on its head. [Laughs] I think she learns a lot from them, which is really cool, and she definitely brings back stuff to share with the team. Now, almost a full year later, the 23-year-old New York Liberty superstar thinks she deserves a new rookie . Sabrina Ionescu was born on 6th December 1997 and grew up in Walnut Creek, California, to her Romanian-American parents. Sabrina: If we really, really got into it, there'd be blood. 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. Sabrina: I knew I was doing a little bit of everything, but there were no stats up on the scoreboard. "There won't be another group like this ever.". Sabrina: They were coming to win that game, not by one or two points. Verified. [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 took Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, Cal. Sabrina's ancestry is Romanian-Caucasian and has a twin brother, Edward. Ionescu garnered added attention on Sunday after she clinched her 18 th career triple-double as the Ducks blew out Indiana 91-68 in the NCAA tournament, the culmination of the college basketball . 1 in W.N.B.A. Tyrese Haliburton Sister, Who Are His Siblings? Sabrina Ionescu and brother Eddy are born on Dec. 6, 1997, to Romanian immigrant parents in Walnut Creek, California. Growing up, they'd even speak in. And she usually delivers. Your email address will not be published. Someone would cry. But she went to a middle school that didn't have enough players to field a girls team, and when she attempted to try out for the boys' team, she was prohibited. 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. [23] Since that game on December 20, 2018, Ionescu has added five more triple-doubles for a season total of eight, and has broken the Oregon women's basketball assist record (formerly 608 assists) in a Pac-12 conference game against USC. "She's an unbelievable talent on that team," Curry would go on to say in a Warriors news conference. I feel like that's definitely something that she'll leave behind, that's going to motivate the younger generation. If we ever needed a player, I would just look at Sabrina. 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. Dan: Here's one thing that I've learned through the years with Sabrina. I would just have to find ways to impact the game other than shooting or scoring, and that was passing. Like. [19] Twelve days later, she would tie the NCAA triple-double record, with her 12th triple-double in a win against Buffalo. I shot 3-pointers, free throws, everything left-handed. Sabrina Ionescu gets nervous. In an interview with ESPN, the presumptive No. Watching it now, like, wow, a lot of my dreams have become a reality. I went right back at him. I applaud her. Dan: In middle school, they had no girls team to speak of, but they had a boys team. I remember we were neck and neck with this one team. However, these rumors are entirely false, and she is not gay. 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. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft to the Liberty. First Name Sabrina #9. I was crying, my family was upset. Ionescu also held the single-game scoring record of 43 points vs. Pinewood High School while being double- and triple-teamed and the single game record in assists with 19 at Dublin High School. Katrina, Read More Katrina Gorry Partner Clara Markstedt Is A Soccer Player Children and Age RevealedContinue, Aaron Nesmith brother name is Eddie Nesmith. [40] She played her first game with the Liberty on July 25. [28], On April 17, 2020, the New York Liberty selected Ionescu with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. I felt more alone. Auriemma: When she walks out, you go, "That kid's not gonna run by anybody, jump over anybody." Dan Ionescu and Liliana Blaj, her proud parents, welcomed her into the world. 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. But you see your parents just going to work every day, working hard. His sister, Sabrina, is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) professional). 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. She then joined the City College of San Francisco but later transferred to the University of Oregon. Just like he saw it in me. Ionescus stellar play in college led to her becoming the No. With Oregon ranked No. We let Oregon down in some way, because we had such high expectations for ourselves. how dedicated I was to playing the game. 107 posts. . Their warm-ups were elite, and so I think that just goes to show what they built there and what we're trying to build here. Namrata is an enthusiastic CSIT student. [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. And she only got better from there, eventually leading the Ducks to a Final Four and going No. Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu has made a name for herself as one of the best college basketball players. She takes to heart what people say, their comments. But we were all like, "OK, we got here, we know what we can do.". Sabrina: His mom came onto the court, and then they both got ejected. She did believe every word she wrote [in her speech when she was 12]. The great ones are like that. It's awesome to be part of a team that has accomplished that. Ionescu also shares her knowledge with boys and girls at camps and academies, including Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy. She has two brothers: twin brother Edward and another Andrei Ionescu. She hadn't yet rewritten the standard for her peers while inspiring the generation to come. Sabrina, his sister, plays professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Speaking of which. Oregon coach Kelly Graves has developed a sense for nights when his star will get a triple-double. He first played college basketball at City College of San Francisco, per Oregons team site. Parents Age And Net Worth Revealed. No one spoke. Her two brothers were a big help in developing her basketball skills. Her elder brother is Andrei Ionescu. She also posted seven double-doubles, ranked third in the Pac-12 and 29th in the NCAA with 183 assists on the year. Sabrina was around three years old when she first picked up a basketball. 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. 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). She received the 2019 John R. Wooden Award and both the 2018 and 2019 Nancy Lieberman Award. I just walked into the locker room and knew we won. Graves: I didn't know who had her ear, quite frankly. The referee came over, ejected him, and Sabrina just got up and started clapping in his face. Sabrina Ionescu is one of the most highly touted college players to ever get drafted into the WNBA. 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. She wasn't ready for that yet. [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. However, things did not go as per plan for Dan. They own and run the "Greco's New York Pizzeria," a pizza restaurant located on Hollywood Boulevard. (Photo . If we only knew when we could see her play her sport again. She is the daughter of Romanian-American parents.