Sabrina Ionescu Making College Basketball History on Feb. 24 is Perfect Tribute to Kobe Bryant
By Karl Rasmussen
Oregon Ducks sensation Sabrina Ionescu has long been dominating at her craft, but she made college basketball history on Monday night with her latest unbelievable accomplishment.
The Ducks' superstar became the first person in men or women's college basketball to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in her career. Ionescu, a close companion of the late Kobe Bryant, achieved the feat on Feb. 24 in what felt like a tribute to Bryant and his daughter Gianna, just hours after their memorial service.
A league of her own ?@sabrina_i20 becomes the 1st player in D-I history to reach 2K Pts, 1K Ast and 1K Reb ... and she did it on 2.24 ?? pic.twitter.com/uBQTtz8Lne
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 25, 2020
No. 3 Oregon defeated No. 4 Stanford on Monday night, during which Ionescu recorded yet another triple-double, scoring 21 points and providing 12 assists and 12 rebounds.
Earlier on Monday, Ionescu was in attendance at the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Celebration of Life memorial and gave a stirring speech regarding her relationship with the Mamba. She was playing with a bit of added fire on Monday night as she etched her name in NCAA basketball lore.
"I still text [Kobe] even though he's not here."
— espnW (@espnW) February 24, 2020
– Sabrina Ionescu while speaking at Kobe and Gianna Bryant's Celebration of Life pic.twitter.com/sOVh82u68Z
Ionescu is, in her own right, carrying on Kobe's torch through her passionate gameplay and tireless work ethic.