Tag: Sabrina Ionescu

WNBA announces return in Florida with ‘commitment to social justice’

While everyone is waiting on the NBA to finalize a plan to return the WNBA announced their plan to play in Florida on Monday.

While the NBA and the NBPA continue to finalize details about their own return to play later this summer, their WNBA counterparts announced on Monday a commitment to a return to play with a focus on ‘social justice,’ including full salaries paid to every player in the shortened season, which will be played on the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida, which is near Tampa.

“In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it’s taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike in a press release from the WNBA.  “We have always been at the forefront of initiatives with strong support of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, the LGBTQ+ community, gun control, voting rights, #MeToo, mental health and the list goes on.  This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”

There were reports that some WNBA players were part of Kyrie Irving’s phone call on Friday questioning the merits of a restart, it appears that the union has agreed with the league to move forward with the 2020 season. Just like with the WNBA, a season doesn’t mean that every player will play and we’ve already seen Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore forego multiple seasons in committing her life to focus on freeing Jonathan Irons, a man she believes was wrongfully convicted, prior to the current political climate.

Per the WNBA’s release, the 12 WNBA teams will report to Bradenton for training camp in early July.

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Minutes after Sabrina Ionescu was …

In her inaugural appearance, at least …

In her inaugural appearance, at least as a pro, on “First Take,” Tuesday, Max Kellerman joked that Brooklyn may now have the two best starting point guards in the city. He then asked the Oregon product if she sees herself working with Irving (who as Irving noted in his video, is also a member of the “No. 1 pick club.”) She was low-key in her response —she is a rookie after all. Or maybe she didn’t want to give something up. “I’m excited with the pieces that we have in place today. We have the NBA behind us and supporting us and our franchise is great. So I’m excited to bring life back in New York and doing that through sport.”

Posting a touching note to Bryant after …

Posting a touching note to Bryant after his passing earlier this year, and another after going first-overall in the draft, Ionescu reflected on some of the wisdom Bryant imparted during their time together. “We definitely just talked about pressure — he kind of just said, ‘Be you. It’s been good enough and that will continue to be good enough.’ And that’s what he always told me,” she said of Bryant’s advice.

Ionescu said there’s no question the …

Ionescu said there’s no question the NBA has been instrumental for the WNBA — but the relationship is beneficial for both leagues. “They’re where we’re striving to be. I mean, those arenas fill up. Everyone’s watching those games, everyone’s buying those jerseys and buying those shoes, so I think the WNBA does need the NBA. But I think the roles can also be switched — I think the NBA needs the WNBA as well,” she said. “Because I think those men end up finding a lot of inspiration and a lot of support through the females that they’re watching. And it kind of just unites us.”

2020 WNBA Draft results: See all 36 picks

The New York Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu with the first overall pick on Friday.

The 2020 WNBA Draft was held virtually on Friday night, and as expected, two former Oregon Ducks were the first players off the board. The New York Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu with the No. 1 overall pick, and her Oregon teammate Satou Sabally went second overall to Dallas.

The WNBA also honored three young players as honorary draft picks. Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli, and Payton Chester, all of whom lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident in February, were selected.

Here are the full results from Friday’s draft.

2020 WNBA Draft results:

Round 1:

1. New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
2. Dallas Wings: Satou Sabally, Oregon
3. Indiana Fever: Laurex Cox, Baylor
4. Atlanta Dream: Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M
5. Dallas Wings: Bella Alarie, Princeton
6. Minnesota Lynx: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, South Carolina
7. Dallas Wings: Tyasha Harris, South Carolina
8. Chicago Sky: Ruthy Hebard, Oregon
9. New York Liberty: Megan Walker, UConn
10. Phoenix Mercury: Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
11. Seattle Storm: Kitija Laska, South Florida
12. New York Liberty: Jazmine Jones, Louisville

Round 2:

13. New York Liberty: Kylee Shook, Louisville
14. Indiana Fever: Kathleen Doyle, Iowa
15. New York Liberty: Leaonna Odom, Duke
16. Minnesota Lynx: Crystal Dangerfield, UConn
17. Atlanta Dream: Brittany Brewer, Texas Tech
18. Phoenix Mercury: Te’a Cooper, Baylor
19. Seattle Storm: Joyner Holmes, Texas
20. Los Angeles Sparks: Beatrice Mompremier, Miami
21. Dallas Wings: Luisa Geiselsoder, Germany
22. Los Angeles Sparks: Leonie Fiebich, Germany
23. Connecticut Sun: Kaila Charles, Maryland
24. Washington Mystics: Jaylyn Agnew, Creighton

Round 3:

25. Atlanta Dream: Mikayla Pivec, Oregon State
26. New York Liberty: Erica Ogwumike, Rice
27. Atlanta Dream: Kobi Thornton, Clemson
28. Indiana Fever: Kamiah Smalls, James Madison
29. Phoenix Mercury: Stella Johnson, Rider
30. Chicago Sky: Japreece Dean, UCLA
31. Seattle Storm: Haley Gorecki, Duke
32. Chicago Sky: Kiah Gillespie, Florida State
33. Las Vegas Aces: Lauren Manis, Holy Cross
34. Los Angeles Sparks: Tynice Martin, West Virginia
35. Connecticut Sun: Juicy Landrum, Baylor
36. Washington Mystics: Sug Sutton, Texas

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Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris welcome Sabrina Ionescu to Brooklyn

Like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Garrett Temple and Joe Harris congratulated Sabrina Ionescu on being picked by the New York Liberty.

Just like the Brooklyn Nets, the WNBA’s New York Liberty are owned by Joe Tsai, and the franchise calls Barclays Center home, as well.

So when the Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu out of Oregon with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft — which was done virtually — it was also a big deal for all of those who call Barclays Center home. And a few Nets players made sure to let fans and Ionescu know that was the case.

Kevin Durant took to Twitter to congratulate Ionescu on her achievement, and he welcomed her to the city. Not long after Durant’s tweet, the Nets shared a video featuring Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris and Garrett Temple,  congratulating the No. 1 overall pick:

Irving also made sure to welcome Ionescu to the very exclusive No. 1 overall pick club, which he joined when the Cleveland Cavaliers took him No. 1 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft.

RELATED: Kevin Durant congratulates Sabrina Ionescu on being drafted by Liberty

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Kevin Durant congratulates Sabrina Ionescu on being drafted by Liberty

Sabrina Ionescu will be calling Barclays Center home now that she was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty.

Although the novel coronavirus outbreak has put all live sports on pause, both the WNBA and the NFL elected to go through with their respective drafts virtually. With NFL’s scheduled to start on April 23, the WNBA was the first to kick things off on Friday.

The draft started with the WNBA paying tribute to Alyssa Altobelli, Gianna Bryant and Payton Chester, who died in the plane crash that also took the life of Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Kobe Bryant. The league selected them as honorary draftees.

After the tribute, the New York Liberty were on the clock. Also owned by Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai, Barclays Center’s WNBA team took Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu — which was far from a surprise.

Once the pick was made official, Ionescu received congratulations from someone she will likely cross paths with from time-to-time at Barclay Center. Kevin Durant.

There will be no shortage of talent at Barclay Center on any given night once pro sports are allowed to continue play.

Steph Curry trying to recruit Sabrina Ionescu to sign with Under Armour

Sabrina Ionescu is in talks with some apparel companies about a shoe deal. Steph Curry is trying to recruit her to join Under Armour.

Former Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu, the likely No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on Friday, has a unique opportunity for women’s basketball players.

Apparel companies have pursued her for a signature shoe deal.

Puma, Nike and Under Armour are among companies that have been in contact with her, according to NBC Sports.

Unsurprisingly, Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry has been part of the Under Armour pitch. Curry and Ionescu are friends, and the Warriors star has been in frequent contact pushing her about the apparel company.

“I think he texts me almost every day. He’s working hard,” Ionescu said with a laugh while on the NBC’s “Runnin’ Plays” Warriors podcast.

Curry famously signed with Under Armour in 2013 after his original Nike deal ended.

Ionescu is also coming off being a Nike athlete, as the company sponsors Oregon and sold her jersey last season.

“I have not made a shoe deal decision yet on who to sign with. Obviously I have a great relationship with Steph so that part’s kind of hard,” Ionescu said. “I have a great relationship with Nike … for 10 years. Puma’s also kind of on the up-and-coming. There’s a lot of pro and cons to all of them.”

Ionescu has achieved fame at Oregon, becoming the all-time NCAA leader in triple-doubles, regardless of gender, and became the first NCAA Div. 1 player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

With her notoriety around the basketball world, she is on track to be one of the rare women basketball players to get sneaker a deal.

“Before this all happened I never thought about it because I didn’t think it was even a possibility,” Ionescu said. “Women don’t usually have signature shoes.

“Listening to a lot of these companies and the goals and visions that they had to have a signature shoe down the line, I was like, ‘Oh, actually that would be pretty cool.”

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