History of Sabrina Ionescu in Timeline

Sabrina Ionescu is a prominent American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty in the WNBA. Known for her exceptional three-point shooting, she is celebrated as one of the greatest in this skill. A three-time WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA Team honoree, Ionescu has also achieved Olympic gold medal success with the United States national team, solidifying her status as a leading figure in women's basketball.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1989: Father's Escape from Romania

Around the time of the 1989 Romanian Revolution, Sabrina Ionescu's father, Dan Ionescu, escaped communist Romania to seek political asylum in the United States.

1995: Family Reunification in the US

In 1995, Sabrina Ionescu's mother, Liliana Blaj, and brother, Andrei, were able to move to the United States to join her father, Dan Ionescu, who had settled in Northern California.

December 6, 1997: Sabrina Ionescu's Birth

On December 6, 1997, Sabrina Elaine Ionescu was born. She is now known as an American professional basketball player in the WNBA.

Others born on this day/year

2000: Oregon's Pac-12 Championship

In 2018, Oregon won the Pac-12 championship for the first time since 2000.

2012: Freshman Season

In 2012, as a freshman, Sabrina started 14 of 29 games and averaged 13.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.9 steals per game, contributing to her team's 27-3 record and a Northern California Section Division II runner-up finish.

2013: Sophomore Season

In 2013, as a sophomore, Ionescu helped her team achieve a 30–2 record.

2013: High School Scoring Records

In 2013-14, Sabrina Ionescu's season scoring record was 598 points.

2014: High School Scoring Records

In 2014-15, Sabrina Ionescu's season scoring record was 760 points.

November 2015: College Decision Delay

In November 2015, during the early signing period, Sabrina Ionescu did not sign a National Letter of Intent with any school, indicating the difficulty of her college choice.

2015: High School Scoring Records

In 2015-16, Sabrina Ionescu's season scoring record was 834 points.

April 2016: College Decision Delay

In April 2016, during the late signing period, Sabrina Ionescu still had not signed a National Letter of Intent with any school.

November 13, 2016: Collegiate Debut for Oregon

On November 13, 2016, Sabrina Ionescu made her collegiate debut for Oregon, scoring 11 points in an 84–67 victory over Lamar.

February 26, 2018: ESPNW Player of the Week

On February 26, 2018, Sabrina Ionescu was named ESPNW's college basketball player of the week, recognizing her outstanding performance.

April 2018: USA Basketball 3x3 Championship

In late April 2018, Sabrina Ionescu and her Oregon teammates won the USA Basketball women's national 3x3 championship tournament in Colorado Springs. She was named tournament MVP and the team was selected to represent the US at the 2018 3x3 World Cup.

November 6, 2018: Eleventh Career Triple-Double

On November 6, 2018, Sabrina Ionescu recorded her 11th triple-double in a victory against Alaska-Fairbanks.

December 20, 2018: NCAA Triple-Double Record

On December 20, 2018, Sabrina Ionescu broke the NCAA triple-double record for both men's and women's basketball with her 13th triple-double in a game against Air Force.

2018: Twin Brother's College Basketball

In 2018, Sabrina Ionescu's twin brother, Eddy, played basketball at the City College of San Francisco before transferring to Oregon.

January 2019: Possible Top Pick

In January 2019, An ESPN mock draft considered Ionescu as a possible top pick.

April 6, 2019: Announcement to Return to Oregon

On April 6, 2019, Sabrina Ionescu announced in The Players' Tribune that she would return to Oregon for her senior season.

November 13, 2019: 2,000 Points, 800 Assists Milestone

On November 13, 2019, in the second game of her senior season, Sabrina Ionescu surpassed the 2,000 points and 800 assists mark for her college career with a win over Utah State.

December 2019: Eligibility for WNBA Draft

In December 2019, Sabrina Ionescu turned 22, making her eligible to declare for the WNBA draft.

2019: Comparison to Marcus Mariota

In 2019, Ducks coach Kelly Graves compared Ionescu to Marcus Mariota, highlighting her potential to become an esteemed Oregon Duck. The attendance at Oregon women's games dramatically increased during Ionescu's career.

2019: Return for Senior Season

In 2019, Sabrina Ionescu chose to return to Oregon for her senior season, believing she had "unfinished business" despite being eligible for the WNBA draft.

2019: Brother Joins Oregon Ducks

In 2019-20, Sabrina Ionescu's twin brother, Eddy, walked on to the Oregon Ducks men's basketball team after being solely a student in the 2018-19 school year.

2019: Ionescu Interview with The Washington Post

In a 2019 interview with Ava Wallace of The Washington Post, Sabrina Ionescu discussed how playing alongside boys and older girls in her childhood shaped her skill set.

2019: Final Four Appearance

In the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Sabrina Ionescu led the Oregon Ducks to their first Final Four appearance after defeating Mississippi State.

2019: Graduation

Sabrina Ionescu earned her diploma in 2019.

January 24, 2020: Pac-12 All-Time Assists Record

On January 24, 2020, in a rivalry game against Oregon State, Sabrina Ionescu broke Gary Payton's Pac-12 all-time record of 938 assists.

February 14, 2020: 2,000 Points and 1,000 Assists

On February 14, 2020, Sabrina Ionescu recorded her 1,000th career assist in a game against #7 UCLA, becoming one of the only players in NCAA history with 2,000+ points and 1,000+ assists.

February 24, 2020: Spoke at Kobe & Gianna Bryant Celebration of Life

On February 24, 2020, Sabrina Ionescu, who was close with Kobe Bryant, spoke at the Kobe & Gianna Bryant Celebration of Life at the Staples Center.

April 14, 2020: Honda Sports Award Winner

On April 14, 2020, Sabrina Ionescu was named the winner of the Honda Sports Award as the best collegiate female basketball player in the nation.

April 17, 2020: Selected First Overall in WNBA Draft

On April 17, 2020, Sabrina Ionescu was selected by the New York Liberty with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft.

August 1, 2020: Ankle Injury

On August 1, 2020, Sabrina Ionescu injured her left ankle in the second quarter of a game against the Atlanta Dream, leading to a diagnosis of a grade 3 sprain.

2020: Drafted First Overall by New York Liberty

In 2020, Sabrina Ionescu was selected first overall by the New York Liberty in the WNBA draft, marking a significant milestone in her career.

2020: University's Mount Rushmore Poll

Shortly after the premature end of Sabrina Ionescu's senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 the University of Oregon polled fans on social media to name the four Oregon alumni they would put on a national Mount Rushmore for the university.

May 18, 2021: First Professional Triple-Double

On May 18, 2021, Sabrina Ionescu recorded her first professional triple-double in her 6th career game with 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to achieve this milestone. The game also marked the first Liberty triple-double and the tenth in league history.

July 6, 2022: First 30-Point Triple-Double in WNBA History

On July 6, 2022, Sabrina Ionescu achieved the first 30-point triple-double in WNBA history with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.

November 11, 2022: Director of Athletic Culture at Oregon

On November 11, 2022, Sabrina Ionescu rejoined her alma mater, Oregon, as the director of athletic culture.

November 14, 2022: Forbes 30 Under 30

On November 14, 2022, Sabrina Ionescu was ranked in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Sports.

2022: Sabrina Ionescu Showcase

Since 2022, Sabrina Ionescu has hosted the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase for girls basketball teams in the Bay Area.

July 14, 2023: WNBA Three-Point Contest Record

On July 14, 2023, Sabrina Ionescu scored 37 points in the Three-Point Contest, setting the highest score in WNBA history, making 25 of her final 27 shots.

September 1, 2023: Nike Sabrina 1 Release

On September 1, 2023, Nike released the Nike Sabrina 1's, Sabrina Ionescu's first signature shoe.

2023: WNBA Finals Loss

In 2023, Ionescu and the Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals but were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces, 3 games to 1.

2023: WNBA Record Breaker

In 2023, Sabrina Ionescu broke the WNBA single-season record in three-pointers and the WNBA Three-Point Contest record, highlighting her exceptional shooting skills.

February 17, 2024: Three-Point Contest Against Stephen Curry

On February 17, 2024, Sabrina Ionescu competed against Stephen Curry in a three-point contest during the NBA All-Star Weekend, scoring 26 points to Curry's 29.

March 10, 2024: Marriage to Hroniss Grasu

On March 10, 2024, Sabrina Ionescu married NFL center and former University of Oregon football player Hroniss Grasu, who is also Romanian-American.

June 2024: Named to US Olympic Team

In June 2024, Sabrina Ionescu was named to the US women's Olympic team to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. The United States defeated France 67–66 in the final, earning Ionescu her first Olympic gold medal.

December 23, 2024: Signed with Unrivaled

On December 23, 2024, Sabrina Ionescu was announced as the final roster spot for the inaugural 2025 season of Unrivaled, the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. She signed with Phantom BC, joining her former college teammate, Satou Sabally.

2024: WNBA Championship Win

In 2024, Ionescu and the Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx. She scored the game-winning three-pointer in game 3 and contributed 8 assists and 7 rebounds in the fifth game to help the team secure its first championship in franchise history.