After helping her team to victory in Paris, Sabrina Ionescu took a moment to reflect on the start of her journey with this exceptional Team USA roster at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Recalling how she was called in for an interview she wasn’t eager to attend, the WNBA star admitted that what happened next left her speechless.
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Grant Hill, the Director of USA Basketball, stood there holding her number six jersey. This was the official announcement of her selection to the Women’s Team USA roster.
This instance overwhelmed Ionescu. Her initial shock quickly turned into pride in representing her country at the Olympics for the first time. The New York Liberty star couldn’t hold back her tears and eventually let her emotions take over.
Reflecting on this moment on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the 26-year- old revealed,
“I don’t get surprised often and I got surprised. They said I had an interview and I was just like, ‘I don’t wanna do it.’ And they are like, ‘You need to come do this interview.’ So then I walked into the hotel and the Director of USA Basketball was holding up a six UNESCO jersey and I just started crying because I was like, ‘This means I made the team.'”
Sabrina Ionescu made an appearance on the @LateNightSeth show last night, where they discussed various topics:
– Where her Gold medal will go
– Experiencing Paris outside of the games
– Finding out how she made TEAM USA
– The Gold Medal game
– The three-pointer/Silencer pic.twitter.com/210wTjpe7h— Liberty Lead (@LibertyLeadSM) August 22, 2024
Her reaction was understandable. After all, only 12 American stars among hundreds of WNBA players got the opportunity to represent Team USA. The players had to perform consistently at a high level to be even considered for a spot.
Ionescu’s selection was a reflection of her hard work. Her impressive career stat line of 15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game paid off. She soon justified the faith placed in her with remarkable performances.
The 3x WNBA All-Star’s average of 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in six games ensured her team’s eighth consecutive gold medal. Her outstanding shooting display of 44.4% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc gave Team USA an advantage over their opponents.
This stint with the national team undoubtedly made her a frontrunner for getting selected for the LA Olympics team as well.
