Sabrina Ionescu is now a gold-medal winner just like her late friend and mentor Kobe Bryant.
The New York Liberty star helped the U.S. women’s basketball team win an eighth-straight gold medal on Sunday by defeating France 67-66 at the Paris Olympics. After the win, Ionescu embraced Bryant’s family that was standing courtside.
Ionescu ran over to hug Bryant’s wife Vanessa and her three daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri.
Ionescu first met Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, in 2019 when the two sat courtside for a game between her Oregon Ducks and USC. Ionescu began working out with the Bryants the following summer, building a friendship with the family.
Just months later, Kobe and Gigi Bryant were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Ionescu was one of the speakers at Kobe Bryant’s celebration of life held the following month at the then Staples Center.
“I carry Kobe and Gigi with me every day and honor their legacies through my dedication to the game,” she said. “I wake up every day grateful for the platform I’ve been given and I strive to lead by example and serve as a role model for young people and especially girls to pursue sports, a platform Kobe and Gigi were passionate about.”
Vanessa Bryant, in May, posted video of 7-year-old Bianka playing basketball together during a trip to New York City.
“Shooting definitely runs in the family,” Ionescu commented.
Ionescu came off the bench in the second half of Sunday’s U.S. victory to play 10 minutes in the final, recording three assists and two rebounds. Bryant won gold medals with the United States in 2008 and 2012.