As shoe companies circle, Ionescu hopes to represent something bigger
Sabrina Ionescu has had discussions with representatives from Nike, Under Armour, and Puma regarding her upcoming shoe deal, the presumptive first overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft confirmed in an interview for "The Boardroom."
However, beyond Ionescu's status as the most marketable women's basketball player to come out of college in years, the former Oregon star has more far-reaching goals in mind.
"I know girls in sports and women's sports is really important to me because I didn't have an equal opportunity (to what) my brothers had growing up," Ionescu told Ros Gold-Onwude. "I was able to see that there wasn't a lot of girls programs for sports, and it was kind of seen (as) weird to be a girl in sports.
"So hopefully, using my platform, I'm going to be able to make that a norm. It should be normal for girls to want to play sports, and to be able to have that equal opportunity."
The New York Liberty won the league's draft lottery last September, earning the right to select first overall at this year's April 17 draft. Ionescu, who averaged 17.5 points, a nation-leading 9.1 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game as a senior, is the odds-on favorite. After two straight seasons finishing outside the playoff field, the Liberty need an offensive spark plug - someone to invigorate the fan base.
While effectively banished to the 5,000-seat Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York last season, the Liberty drew under 2,300 fans per game - dead last in the WNBA by a significant margin. However, with team ownership transferring from the New York Knicks' parent company to that of the Brooklyn Nets, the Liberty are set to relocate to one of the largest platforms in women's basketball: Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
The more central, 19,000-seat arena would presumably bring Ionescu an even greater opportunity to help grow the women's game. Still, with the spread of the coronavirus ending her senior season prior to the start of March Madness, the 22-year-old laments what could have been at the college level.
"I do definitely think about - not even just me personally - but our team, what we could have done having games on ESPN, and having that ability to showcase who we are as women on the court, and finally having all the NCAA Tournament games be live on TV where people can watch," Ionescu said. "I think it was just a step in the right direction for the game. It sucks having to miss out on something like that."