Sabrina Ionescu will challenge Stephen Curry in a special three-point contest on Saturday night. The New York Liberty playmaker is considered one of the best shooters in the WNBA and even broke a Warriors star record at the WNBA All-Star Game.
“Incomprehensible!” Stephen Curry didn’t need any more words last Julywhen he commented on a video by Sabrina Ionescu on X. The 25-year-old had just won the WNBA three-point contest, scoring 37 points in the final round. She converted 25 of her last 26 attempts, 20 of them in a row.
For comparison: In the NBA, Curry scored 31 points in one round, which remains the record together with Tyrese Halliburton (Pacers). Ionescu was no longer unknown, but the hype surrounding the guard player only grew.
It was similar a few years ago in college, when the daughter of Romanian immigrants broke one record after another. No woman before her had achieved 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in college. In 142 games she achieved 26 triple-doubles, which is a standing record for both men and women.
Sabrina Ionescu learns from Kobe Bryant
While the Oregon Ducks played in front of an average of 1,000 spectators before her arrival, it was over 10,000 in her senior season, in which she won all the important personal individual awards alongside German WNBA starlet Satou Sabally. Only one college title was missed because the 2020 season could not be completed due to the corona pandemic. Oregon was the heavy favorite…
Curry named her the “Walking Triple Dub”, LeBron James spoke of “Queen Sabrina” and Kobe Bryant, with whom Ionescu completed numerous training sessions, christened her shortly before his death as “Gepetto” because she was like a puppet master pulling all the strings would hold.
Bryant’s love for women’s basketball was well known, along with his daughter Gianna, who also died, the Black Mamba worked with the Ducks player on Ionescu’s game and even dedicated a segment to the rising star player on ESPNin which he compared Ionescu’s game to Steve Nash.
Sabrina Ionescu wants to win against Stephen Curry.
Ionescu and Stephen Curry: The role model became the mentor
This is also what sets Ionescu apart from many others. She is, first and foremost, a damn good playmaker who can throw the ball just as well. Her father always knew it anyway. Ionescu Sr. is an Uber driver in San Francisco and liked to proudly talk about how good his daughter was with the orange leather.
“She’s not just good, she’s the best,” Ionescu is said to have said during a trip. Years later, Ionescu confirmed the X-User’s story: “Yes, that sounds like my father,” said the playmaker. In the WNBA, however, things weren’t going as planned. The New York Liberty selected Ionescu ahead of Sabally with the first pick, but ultimately it took until the third season before the 1.80 meter woman made her real breakthrough.
Hype gab es dennoch um Ionescu who is one of the faces of Nike and has her own collection. To this end, she also entered into a cooperation with Kevin Durant’s Boardroom platform. Ionescu has managed to be relevant on a big stage, she is a role model for a generation of girls who want to play basketball.
And she also maintains good contacts with the NBA stars, especially with Curry, who of course played a big role in Ionescu’s youth, as she grew up in the Bay and experienced the Warriors’ dynasty years up close. “It’s come full circle. I used to admire him, now I can take my smartphone and just call him,” Ionescu said of her mentor. “That’s exactly what I want to be for young athletes. I want to be a mentor like him and not take these moments for granted.”
The shootout on Sunday night against Stephen Curry will be another milestone in this regard. Although Ionescu is not part of the official three-point competition, the additional event is still making a lot of headlines and numerous stars have been actively promoting it. It’s an advertisement for women’s basketball, regardless of whether Ionescu beats Curry or not.
For the first time, Ionescu will throw from the men’s three-point line, which is one meter further away than in the WNBA, but she can also use the slightly smaller ball for women. There are not really equal conditions, but that is not the goal either. Yet: Stars wie Kyrie Irving or Durant believe Ionescu will beat Curry. “It will be a great thing,” says Curry. “Ultimately it doesn’t matter who wins because we’re doing something that’s never been done before.”
Sabrina Ionescu: Her stats in the WNBA
2024-02-16 11:21:00
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