WNBA champion, New York Liberty guard, and Oregon Duck legend Sabrina Ionescu received a high honor on Sunday afternoon, having a day honored in her name, in the city where she became a legend.
Ahead of the defending WNBA champions New York Liberty pre-season tune-up, Eugene mayor Kaarin Knudson paid a visit to the Liberty practice. There, she surprised Ionescu with the announcement.
Video via The Register-Guard, Chris Pietsch.
The Liberty conclude their pre-season in Eugene on May 12, at Matthew Knight Arena. They will face off with the Toyota Antelopes of the W-League Premier, Japan's professional women's basketball league.
Ionescu is not the only Oregon alum headed back to Matthew Knight arena for the pre-season game, as fellow Duck Nyara Sabally is also a member of the New York Liberty. Sabally was with the Ducks from 2018-2022, before becoming the fifth overall selection in the 2022 draft.
Sab & Nyara are coming home to MKA.@nyliberty x #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/VFvWvMM62i
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) May 12, 2025
The honor Ionescu has received is absolutely deserved, and should need no explanation. In case you are not familiar, Ionescu had an illustrious collegiate career with the Ducks. Her collegiate accolades include:
- 3x Unanimous first-team all-American (2018-2020)
- Naismith Player of the year (2020)
- James E. Sullivan Award (Given to the best athlete in the USA at the collegiate or Olympic level) (2020)
- 4x All Pac-12 (2017-2020)
- 3x Pac-12 Player of the year (2018-2020)
- 3x Nancy Lieberman Award (2018-2020) (Given to the best point guard in collegiate women's basketball)
- WNBA champion (2024)
And much, much more.
Ionescu has always expressed deep gratitude and love for not only Oregon athletics, but the entire university and state. She has made it a point to frequently return to Eugene, seen at several football and basketball games since her departure to the WNBA. She is University of Oregon royalty, in the same vein as Marcus Mariota and Steve Prefontaine.
Ionescu and the New York Liberty's appearance at Matthew Knight Arena will help close a chapter in Ionescu's career that she was never able to completely finish, as her senior season was cancelled prior to March Madness, due to the COVID-19 virus.
The Liberty and Antelopes tip-off at 7pm pacific time at Matthew Knight Arena, in front of a sold-out crowd.