Tag: Sabrina Ionescu

WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu: ‘We hope to empower a younger generation of girls’

New York Liberty star guard Sabrina Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, will play her first game at Barclays Center next month.

New York Liberty star guard Sabrina Ionescu, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, will play her first game at Barclays Center next month.

Ionescu is the NCAA’s all-time leader in career triple-doubles and was the first player in college basketball history with at least 2,000 points as well as 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.

She developed a strong relationship with the late Kobe Bryant, who held one-on-one training sessions with her, and his daughter Gianna Bryant. Ionescu was one of the speakers at Bryant’s memorial service in February 2020.

The former Oregon standout recorded 33 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in just her second professional game. But she suffered an injury in the subsequent game that kept her on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

We caught up with Ionescu to discuss her injury recovery and some of the other projects that she has worked on during the offseason leading into her sophomore campaign.

Please note this interview was minorly edited in its transcript for clarity.

The fantastic story of a guy randomly meeting Sabrina Ionescu’s Uber-driving dad

What a story!

It’s only the morning on Thursday, but I’m certain this is the best story I’ll hear all day.

It starts with Luka Dukich, whose Twitter bio says he’s the Director of Content for the Chicago Bulls and White Sox.

In a series of tweets, Dukich said he was in an Uber in San Francisco a couple of years ago, and “a friendly Romanian dude” driver starting talking about his daughter playing college hoops and how she is “THE BEST.”

Dukich did what anyone would do and said it was awesome. But what he didn’t realize is — and by now you know the punchline, thanks to the headline — that this Uber driver was the father of … Sabrina Ionescu, the former Oregon star who was the No. 1 pick of the 2020 WNBA draft.

Sabrina Ionescu thought that sounded like her dad:

Seriously. This story is also THE BEST.

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James Wiseman, others challenge fans on TikTok to win free Chipotle

James Wiseman and R.J. Hampton are among the players that have teamed up with Chipotle to give fans the chance to win free food.

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James Wiseman and R.J. Hampton are among the 2020 NBA Draft prospects that have teamed up with Chipotle to launch a TikTok competition that gives fans the opportunity to win free burritos and seats to a future basketball game.

Chipotle and the future NBA stars are challenging fans to hit a 53-foot shot and share their video using TikTok’s duet feature, tagging @Chipotle, and including the hashtag #Chipotle53. The number 53 represents the number of real ingredients used across Chipotle’s menu.

Projected first-round picks Obi Toppin, Cole Anthony and Josh Green are also featured with Wiseman and Hampton. Additionally, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu also participated in the contest, which runs through Oct. 19.

Chipotle will randomly select 10 winners who will receive 53 free burritos and seats to a game when basketball returns with fans.

Chipotle has worked previously with Hampton after the popular restaurant caught wind that he loves their food. They gave him a Celebrity Card, which gives him access to free food every day for a year, for throwing down a couple of dunks in the gym.

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Sabrina Ionescu’s ankle injury had basketball fans everywhere shook

It doesn’t seem to be too bad

The WNBA’s shining rookie star Sabrina Ionescu suffered an ankle injury during the New York Liberty’s game against the Atlanta Dream on Friday.

The Liberty rookie badly turned her ankle after she stepped on a defender’s foot when bringing the ball up the court.

Rolling an ankle always looks like an awful thing, but this looked far worse than the typical ankle sprain. She had to be carried off of the court by her teammates after. Fans had fears of the worst for the WNBA’s number one pick.

And can you blame them? This looks awful.

Here are her teammates carrying her off the court.

Fans were extremely worried about the Liberty rookie.

Some of her NBA contemporaries chimed in with well wishes, too, including LeBron James.

Fortunately, though, Ionescu’s MRI came back negative and it turns out she just has an ankle sprain, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

It sucks that Ionescu is hurt. She’s already so good! She already hung up her first 30-piece in a game against her former teammate Satuo Sabally and the Dallas Wings.

And she got off to a great start against the Dream on Friday. She was getting buckets and making hustle plays like this one.

She’s just an incredible player and the sport of basketball is better when she’s on the court. Hopefully, she gets well soon and isn’t away for too long.

Warriors welcome back WNBA with shoutout to Bay Area native Sabrina Ionescu

Before the WNBA’s return, the Golden State Warriors shared a special shoutout to Bay Area native and first overall pick Sabrina Ionescu.

Before 22-teams open up the NBA’s Orlando Bubble next week, the WNBA kicked off their 2020 season on Saturday morning. Prior to the action getting underway, the Golden State Warriors welcomed back the WNBA on Twitter.

The Warriors shared a series of photos that included Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with WNBA Stars Candace Parker, Sue Bird and Aerial Powers.

Following the Warriors welcome back message to the WNBA, Golden State posted a special shoutout to Bay Area native Sabrina Ionescu.

Prior to a historic college campaign for the Oregon Ducks, Ionescu played her high school basketball in the Bay Area at Miramonte High School in Orinda. On Saturday, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick made her WNBA debut for the New York Liberty against the Seattle Storm.

Via @warriors on Twitter:

Against the Storm, Ionescu tallied 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting with six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Former WNBA Most Valuable Player Breonna Stewart recorded 18 points to lead the Storm to an 87-71 victory on opening day.

The WNBA will play a 22 game regular season schedule followed by a full postseason slate at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

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LeBron James one of many NBA players to support WNBA tip-off

LeBron James was one of many NBA players to support the official start of the WNBA season on Saturday.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was one of many players across the NBA who sported WNBA-branded gear on Saturday in honor of the start of the WNBA.

The WNBA season kicked off for real on Saturday morning as No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu made her WNBA debut in an 87-71 loss at the hands of the 2018 WNBA champion Seattle Storm, who welcomed back 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart and veteran point guard Sue Bird after both missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season due to injury. James and the Lakers played in a scrimmage on Saturday against the Orlando Magic and James pulled up to the scrimmage with the orange WNBA hoodie that many other players wore on Saturday.

In addition to James, players around the league such as Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul and Portland’s Carmelo Anthony, posted photos of them in their WNBA hoodies to show support for the ladies who started their season this weekend.

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It’s not often you hear a two-time NBA …

It’s not often you hear a two-time NBA MVP referred to as a “system player.” But that’s exactly how ESPN’s Bomani Jones views Warriors star Steph Curry, as he shared on his podcast Friday. “He’s got sick handle and all that stuff. There’s something different,” Jones said on “The Right Time with Bomani Jones.” “It’s hard to explain what it is with Steph, but Steph is somehow like the greatest system player of all time. And I’m not saying that to shade him. But you are not going 1-4 flat and being like, ‘Get us a bucket.’ ” Curry seemed to respond with a veiled reference to the comments while praising Bay Area native and 2020 WNBA No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu in her professional debut. “And shout out to all the system players in the @WNBA,” Curry said. “We get it done.”

New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm match up, with WNBA betting odds, picks and best bets.

The New York Liberty and Seattle Storm tip off the WNBA regular season Saturday at noon ET at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the league’s bubble site, or “Wubble” – which the players have been calling it. We analyze the Liberty-Storm WNBA betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Storm have picked up five consecutive victories in their head-to-head series vs. the Liberty. New York’s last win in the series was way back on July 6, 2017. In addition to going 5-0 straight up (SU) vs. the Liberty, the Storm are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) during the stretch. The Under has also cashed in five of the previous six meetings.

Liberty vs. Storm: By the Numbers

  • We’ll see the long-anticipated debut of Liberty rookie G Sabrina Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. She was the first player in NCAA history to post at least 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career assists while at the University of Oregon.
  • The Storm will be without coach Dan Hughes, who is avoiding the bubble since a medical assessment diagnosed him a high risk if he contracted the coronavirus. He missed time last season due to cancer treatments. Assistant Gary Kloppenburg will step in and serve as the head coach.
  • The Storm (+400) are among the favorites to win the 2020 WNBA Championship, sharing the second-best odds with the Los Angeles Sparks and just behind the defending champion Washington Mystics (+250). The Liberty (+2500) are considered a long shot – only three teams have worse odds.

WNBA season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an WNBA bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Liberty vs. Storm: Key injuries

Liberty

  • G Rebecca Allen opted out of the bubble due to COVID-19 risks.
  • G Asia Durr opted out due to COVID-19 risks.
  • F Megan Walker (COVID-19 concerrns) out.

Liberty vs. Storm: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 10:35 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Storm 77, Liberty 73

Moneyline (ML)

The Liberty (+450) are an intriguing play as underdogs, but the Storm (-625) are still the gold standard in the Western Conference, and perhaps all of the WNBA.

PASS on the lack of value.

Against the spread (ATS)

The spread is -10.5 for Seattle (-110), and with their head coach leading the way, perhaps NEW YORK (+10.5, -110) is able to keep it fairly close.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 153.5 (-110) has been a regular happening when these two teams get together. The Liberty should have a nice infusion of offense with Ionescu, but take the Under until further notice.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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WNBA Preview: 5 things to look forward to this WNBA season

The W is back!

The WNBA’s first tip off on Saturday cannot get here any sooner.

And it all starts with a bang. On Saturday, at 12 noon, Sue Bird, Breonna Stewart and the Seattle Storm will face Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty.

That’s just the beginning, though. There’s so much more to dive in on for this upcoming season in the WNBA Bubble. There are so many stacked teams with multiple All-Stars. At the same time, there are so many All-Stars that are actually sitting this season out because of coronavirus.

And, best of all, there are so many players down the Wubble right now having a blast.

This season looks like it’s going to be fun. We cover all of that and more in the video above.

WATCH: Robin Roberts pays tribute to Cassius Winston, Sabrina Ionescu at ESPY’s

Robin Roberts wrote an emotional letter to Cassius Winston and Sabrina Ionescu, which she read at the 2020 ESPY’s.

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Two of the greatest point guards in college basketball history passed up chances to head to the pros early to return to college for a senior season this last year, and that was Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu. Both players returned hoping to push for a championship on their way out of school, but that chance was taken from them by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2020 ESPY’s on Sunday, Robin Roberts paid tribute to both players with an emotional letter, celebrating their achievements, and the achievements of all senior athletes who weren’t able to end their respective careers on the desired note.

You can watch it below:

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