NEW York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu has a big brother in NBA legend Pau Gasol.
Once a protege of the late Kobe Bryant, the WNBA sharpshooter has grown close to the Black Mamba’s former Los Angeles Lakers co-star and best friend – so close he feels like family.
Sign up for the Sport newsletter
Thank you!
Gasol, 43, attended the Liberty’s home opener of the 2024 season, a 91-80 win over Caitlin Clark‘s Indiana Fever at a jam-packed Barclays Center in mid-May.
His presence at the marquee WNBA matchup didn’t come as a surprise considering he’s a big champion for women’s basketball, just like Bryant was.
But the Spaniard had a personal interest in the Fever-Liberty clash, bringing his wife Cat McDonnel and daughter Elisabet Gianna to connect with Ionescu, 26, a family friend.
“I consider her a little sister,” Gasol tells The U.S. Sun after the game.
READ MORE ON THE WNBA
Asked how that brotherly love developed, the two-time NBA champion said it sprouted out of Bryant’s relationship with the former Oregon standout.
“We’ve just been very close the last few years,” he says.
“She was kind of Kobe’s little sister – and Kobe was my brother. So that’s why.”
Those words mean a lot, Ionescu has told The U.S. Sun.
Most read in Basketball
“He’s been there for me and I’m able to be there for him and his family,” she says.
“We have a really good connection and we’re close.
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Remaining Time 0:00
“It means the world that he speaks highly of me as well.”
Ionescu, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, explains Gasol’s ties to Northern California through his wife helped them connect on a personal level, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, Sabrina says, she often sees the Gasols in Hawaii.
The Lakers icon also celebrated with the Liberty playmaker when she and ex-Las Vegas Raiders center Hroniss Grasu tied the knot earlier this year.
How the WNBA works
THE 2024 WNBA season features 12 teams with the regular-season running from May 14 to September 9.
Each team plays 40 regular-season games – four against five teams from the same conference and two teams from the other conference, and three games against the remaining four teams.
The top eight teams in the league standings qualify for the playoffs – regardless of what conference they’re in.
The playoffs will use a best-of-three format in the first round while the semifinals and WNBA Finals are best of five.
This season also includes a month-long break for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Las Vegas Aces are defending back-to-back WNBA champions.
“[Gasol is] kind of like a big brother in terms of being able to talk to him about anything, seeing the support that he’s had for me,” she says.
“We’re always in touch and hanging out as a family, wherever it is.
“It’s been really nice to see what he’s meant to me and my family, and how we continue to just get closer.”
Ionescu finished the game against the Fever with 13 points, five assists, and a steal.
The two-time WNBA All-Star knocked down four 3s on nine attempts (44.4%), showing once more she’s one of the best shooters in the US – an ability that saw he go up against Steph Curry in a historic 3-point shooting contest during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend.
And as an older brother would, Gasol brimmed with pride seeing the Liberty star thrive.
Read More on The US Sun
“Just so happy that she continues to grow the game, to play at a high level,” he says.
“I know that she’s going to continue to work to get better and better every season.”
Leave a Reply