Warm welcome: Ionescu feels PH love for basketball

BARELY known when she first came here in the Philippines back in 2018 when she played for Team USA in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu returned to the country with a warm welcome from the fans.

Seven years since her first visit, Ionescu has cemented a great career with three All-Star selections, a WNBA title, and a Paris Olympics gold medal — accolades that were definitely not lost in this basketball-crazy country.

"To be able to see how much has changed from then and being, you know, back here in Manila is really exciting," said Ionescu in a media availability at The Peninsula Manila in Makati on Tuesday the second day of her three-day visit in Manila.

"Obviously, just being around the fans and seeing how much the game has grown is something that you actually have to see in person. So it's been a blessing to be here," added Ionescu, who was going to finish the day by playing alongside local collegiate and pro basketball stars in a basketball game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

On her first day here in the country on Monday, the first stop of her Asian tour, Ionescu went to the House of Sabrina at Nike Fort on Monday when she had an encounter with talents and coaches of the women's basketball community.

She also held a skills camp at the Nike Courtyard in Bonifacio Global City and will have another one on the final day of her tour on Wednesday in Santa Maria, Bulacan.

Ionescu talked about the importance of growing the game of basketball, especially in the women's side of things.

"It's super important in understanding the importance of growing the game of basketball not only in the United States but around the world and obviously here in the Philippines, where you're able to see firsthand the love for women's sports and women's basketball, and how this community really takes that in and believes in that, and you're able to see that from everyone," said Ionescu.

The 5-foot-11 guard said she's going to apply whatever she picked up here back in the States.