Ionescu thrills fans with world-class skills

ONLY on her second day in Manila, Sabrina Ionescu already knows, up close and personal, how deeply and truly Filipinos love basketball.

After experiencing a rousing welcome on her arrival to the House of Sabrina at Nike Fort, and hoops encounter with young Filipino ballers during the Sabrina Skills Camp at the Courtyard in BC, the WNBA and Olympic champion was well aware of how loved she is by the basketball community.

The WNBA and Olympic champion rocked the Smart Araneta Coliseum with her Craft The Future Showcase — a basketball extravaganza that featured a Dance Showcase, a basketball game called the Legends and Young Guns All Stars Exhibition, and a three-point shoot-out with Sabrina and local basketball's best three-point shooters, Janine Pontejos, Luisa San Juan, Khate Castillo and Marcio Lassiter.

Sabrina got a real taste of the loud Pinoy basketball crowd at the Big Dome. And in turn, the basketball-loving audience got to see in action, a colorful mix of young and veteran talents from the collegiate and pro leagues in men's and women's basketball.

Dave Ildefonso, Camille Nolasco, Rizza Palmera, LA Tenorio, Paul Lee, Afril Bernardino, Kieffer Alas, Camille Clarin, Harold Alarcon, Jhaz Joson, Ricci Rivero, Japeth Aguilar, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Louna Ozar, Kacey dela Rosa, Rhenz Abando, Trina Guytingco, Kai Oumi and Alyanna Lim shared the stage with Sabrina and gave local basketball fandom something to marvel at and be proud about.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone and to all those young boys and girls in the arena. The legacy that I want to share is for you to leave the game better than you found it. Continue to grow the game of basketball and just show up. Continue to dream big, because you can do it," Sabrina said.