Former Oregon Ducks player Sabrina Ionescu donates footwear to Iowa and speaks with Caitlin Clark.
Two college basketball icons crossed paths on Wednesday when former Oregon Ducks standout Sabrina Ionescu paid a visit to Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball ahead of the NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four in Cleveland.
Ionescu, now in her fourth season with the WNBA’s New York Liberty, gave the Iowa team her distinctive Nike “Sabrina 1” sneakers. Nike, the Hawkeyes’ sponsor, also provided additional apparel like as sweatpants, hoodies, and other Final Four-related products.
“Enjoy what you guys have done so far, enjoy where you’re at,” Ionescu told the Hawkeyes. “It’s a lot bigger than yourselves. You guys are seeing that with what you guys have been able to do in the last couple years here, how it’s just changed the sport and how it’s just changed the lives of so many people in your guys’ area but also around the world. Enjoy playing for one another. You’re never going to get another room like this.”
Ionescu has had an interesting year: she recently married former Oregon football player Hroniss Grasu, competed against Stephen Curry in a first-of-its-kind WNBA vs. NBA three-point contest at NBA All-Star weekend, and is coming off a season with the Liberty in which she set a WNBA record for three-pointers.
Clark, who was recently awarded Naismith Women’s Player of the Year, became the NCAA’s all-time top scorer this season, and the Hawkeyes are two wins away from a national championship.
Two of basketball’s biggest stars — Clark and Ionescu — will reportedly join Curry and potentially his teammate Klay Thompson at another three-point shootout at NBA All-Star 2025. Once her career with Iowa is over, Clark is set to be selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft on April 15.
Ionescu and the Liberty will face Clark and the Fever for the first time on May 16.
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