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Why haven't the Oregon Ducks retired Sabrina Ionescu's jersey number?

With Iowa retiring Caitlin Clark's jersey, questions have arisen about why the Oregon Ducks haven't retired a few legends' numbers yet.

BySam Fariss|
Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu waves to the sold-out crowd during the post-game program for seniors after the end of the regular season.
Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu waves to the sold-out crowd during the post-game program for seniors after the end of the regular season. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Sabrina Ionescu has become a legend in the WNBA and has only been in the league for a few years. Since getting selected first overall in the 2020 Draft, Ionescu has already won a WNBA title with the New York Liberty.

However, before her reign in the Big Apple, Ionescu was a legend in Eugene – the queen of Eugene, the queen of triple-doubles, the G.O.A.T.

So, why haven't the Oregon Ducks retired Ionescu's jersey? The Iowa Hawkeyes are already retiring Caitlin Clark's number and she has only been out of college for a single season. Ionescu has been away from the NCAA for nearly four years.

Well, the answer is actually pretty simple. Believe it or not, Oregon athletics does not retire jersey numbers. That's why you see players like Dillon Gabriel donning the number of legendary Duck quarterback Marcus Mariota and N'Faly Dante rocking the No. 1 just like Jordan Bell.

Sure, Ionescu may be one of the most legendary Ducks of all time. Still, Mariota won the Heisman Trophy and Bell led the men's basketball team to one of its deepest NCAA Tournament runs in program history.

There are other Oregon athletes who were and are deserving of having their jerseys retired. Here are just a few Oregon women's basketball players who should have their number hung from the rafters:

Oregon WBB players who deserve to have their jersey retired:

Sabrina Ionescu

  • 18.0 points per game
  • 7.7 assists per game
  • 7.3 rebounds per game
  • 1.5 steals per game
  • 2,562 career points
  • 1,091 career assists
  • 1,040 career rebounds

Not only do Ionescu's stats speak for themselves but the former Duck leads the nation in career triple-doubles with 26 – nine more than Clark (17) and more than double the men's all-time leader (Kyle Collinsworth, 12).

Ruthy Hebard

  • 16.4 points per game
  • 9.0 rebounds per game
  • 1.2 steals per game
  • 1.0 blocks per game
  • 2,368 career points
  • 1,299 career rebounds

Jillian Alleyne

  • 18.0 points per game
  • 14.3 rebounds per game
  • 1.2 steals per game
  • 1.2 blocks per game
  • 2,106 career points
  • 1,669 career rebounds

Stefanie Kasperski

  • 16.4 points per game
  • 8.1 rebounds per game
  • 3.4 blocks per game
  • 1,956 career points
  • 996 career rebounds
  • 322 career blocks

The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to retire Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey on Feb. 2, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. PT during their game against the USC Trojans.

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