Pro Ducks: Sabrina Ionescu still leading the way for former Ducks in the WNBA

Oregon women’s basketball head coach Kelly Graves has found great success in his coaching tenure, both at Oregon and in previous roles. He’s been able to find and recruit incredible talent to his program and many of those players have then gone on to succeed in the WNBA.

Currently, there are four Pro Ducks in the Women’s National Basketball Association whom Graves coached in their college career.

Sabrina Ionescu – New York Liberty

Since the turn of the century, Sabrina Ionescu has arguably paved the way for GOATs in women’s college basketball. 

Ionescu is a two-time WNBA All-Star, the 2023 WNBA Three-Point Shoutout champion, the 2023 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champion, and still holds the NCAA all-time triple-double record.

To top it all off, the former Duck turned New York hero is the only player – men’s or women’s – in NCAA history with a career 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists.

With players like Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark following in her footsteps, the former Duck has gone on to further greatness since she entered the WNBA.

The first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, she quickly became the fastest player to record a triple-double in league history – just six games into her career.

Ionescu was also the first WNBA player to reach 500+ points, 200+ rebounds, and 200+ assists in a single season.

Averaging 15.7 points per game throughout her career, Ionescu has reset the standard for guards in the league. Coming off an injury in her rookie season, she has taken the Liberty by the reins and even led them to a spot in the WNBA Championship.