Now A Full-Fledged WNBA Star, Former Oregon Standout Sabrina Ionescu Eyes Olympic Gold

It’s been a little over four years since Sabrina Ionescu put the finishing touches on her record-setting college basketball career at the University of Oregon. Since that time, she’s firmly established herself at the professional level as a top player in the WNBA and now has the opportunity to pursue her dreams of Olympic gold after being named to the 2024 USA Basketball Women’s National Team that will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics in just a matter of weeks.

While this will be Ionescu’s first Olympic Games, she has systematically risen up the ranks of the international game with USA Basketball, most recently helping the United States win the gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

Looking ahead to Paris, Ionescu joins an experienced roster that has a combined 15 Olympic gold medals, 18 FIBA Women’s World Cup titles and more than 50 WNBA All-Star appearances. In Paris, the American women are seeking their eighth straight – and 10th overall – Olympic gold medal.

For her part, Ionescu already is a two-time All-WNBA second team selection and WNBA All-Star with the New York Liberty and is one on the leading vote-getters thus far in this year’s all-star fan voting, which opened June 13 and concludes this Saturday at 8:59 p.m. (PT). In an added twist, this year’s WNBA All-Star Game pits the U.S. Olympic team against the remaining WNBA All-Star selections in Phoenix on Saturday, July 20.

The No. 1 overall pick of the Liberty in the 2020 WNBA Draft, Ionescu became the first WNBA player to record 500-plus points, 200-plus rebounds and 200-plus assists in a single season. Additionally, the guard became the fastest Liberty draft pick to eclipse 1,000 career points, doing so in just 66 games, and recently added to her impressive collection of superlatives by reaching 300 career three-pointers faster than any player in WNBA history.

Through 18 games with New York this season, she has helped the Liberty to their best start in franchise history by averaging a career-high 19.3 points, 6.7 assists and 33.2 minutes played per game. Last season, Ionescu helped lead the Liberty to their first WNBA Finals appearance since 2002, ultimately coming up just short of the franchise’s first WNBA title by falling to the Las Vegas Aces.  

Locally, we all remember Ionescu’s incredible career with the Oregon Ducks. She left the program after her senior season with a long list of achievements, namely winning two Wooden Awards and earning the distinction of being the first NCAA player – male or female – to record 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career assists. During her junior season, she helped lead the Ducks to their first Final Four.

But despite all of her accomplishments, the unique opportunity to represent her country in pursuit of an Olympic gold medal isn’t lost on Ionescu.

“It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a little girl,” Ionescu recently told Sports Illustrated. “I understand that I would be able to have the opportunity to go out and compete with the best in the world, go out there and fight for another gold medal.”

And she’ll soon realize her dream. The USA women will gather for a training camp in Phoenix before taking on the WNBA All-Stars there on July 20. The team will then depart for London, where they will play Germany in a tune-up game leading up to the Paris Olympics.

“Everyone wants to put USA across their chests and represent their country,” she told Sports Illustrated, “and I will never take one of these moments for granted.”

With the Opening Ceremony set for July 26, Team USA begins Olympic group stage play by taking on Japan on July 29. The U.S. women then turn their attention to Belgium on Aug. 1 and Germany on Aug. 4 to round out Group C play.

Beaverton native Cameron Brink named to 3x3 U.S. Olympic team but out due to injury
Another women’s basketball player with local ties received the distinct honor of being selected to a Team USA roster recently, as Beaverton native Cameron Brink was named to the 2024 USA Basketball 3x3 Women’s National Team to compete in Paris.

Unfortunately, Brink is unable to participate in her first Olympic Games after suffering a season-ending ACL injury June 18 while playing for the Los Angeles Sparks. The second overall pick of the Sparks in this year’s WNBA Draft, Brink played her high school basketball locally at Southridge High School and Mountainside High School before a standout collegiate career at Stanford, winning a national championship with the Cardinal in 2021.

To follow all of your favorite athletes during the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, stay up to date with this handy page that lists all of the recently qualified athletes slated to represent the United States.