Earlier this week, Brenna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu jumped on IG live for a quick conversation for the fans. Many athletes have done this amid the quarantine due to COVID-19. We got a legendary conversation from Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Diana Taurasi the other day. Stewie and Sabrina took over the Nike Basketball page for a few minutes and talked about everything from favorite sneakers to most memorable buckets.
Stewart and Ionescu have a lot in common. They were both the consensus #1 picks in their senior years of college. Both were revolutionary female college athletes, and now both are apart of the Nike family.
Sabrina showed the perks of that by flashing some PE Kobe X’s that were designed by Tinker Hatfield himself she debuted on draft night. They had some sneaker talk for a bit. Breanna asked Sabrina what shoe she would wear for her WNBA debut and Ionescu said she’d lean towards the Kobe 4. Stewie added that she used the same model almost exclusively during her rehab. Another thing the superstars have in common. Stewart typically hoops in KD’s. Could we possibly see a switch when she returns from injury?
They went on to talk about some things they were doing to stay in shape during this shutdown. Ionescu still gets up shots at her middle school and is incorporating some yoga into her routine. Stewie, on the other hand, hasn’t been in the gym but uses the Nike Training Club app to stay fit. They also reflected on Ionescu’s college career, favorite moments, and what she’s looking forward to in the W.
Sabrina said making the Final Four with Oregon was special but she wanted the chance to go all the way this year. Breanna gave Oregon the unofficial championship stamp saying they had her vote to win it all if the season wasn’t suspended. Sabrina is also excited to grow her game and take on the new challenges she’ll face in the league. She asked Stewie what she could expect in her rookie season and the five-year vet just told her to soak it all in and enjoy the experience because it goes fast. Stewart said her rookie year was a whirlwind.
They got into some hoop talk as well, talking about their toughest defenders. Ionescu gave Jordin Canada the shoutout. They haven’t played against each other in two years so that defense had to be intense. Stewie highlighted a few legends, (Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne) as her hardest matchups.
In another reflective moment, Stewart asked what was Sabrina’s most memorable moment from college. Sabrina says it was the rebound that officially made her Ms. 2K-1K-1K. It was the game after she spoke at Kobe’s service, with whom she shared a special bond. Stewart said her favorite memories were from the 2018 semis against Phoenix. It was a classic series where Diana Taurasi and Stewart gave us some memorable moments. It was also special for Stewie because it was en route to a championship.
I know we’re all bored and missing live action but I’m definitely enjoying these off the cuff conversations. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi gave us an EPIC live a few days ago and I’m looking forward to more from the stars of the WNBA. The athletes are just as bored as us so they’ll be giving out more dope content.
