WNBA’s Sabrina Ionescu empowers young girls to pursue their hoop dreams

When Sabrina Ionescu was in middle school, she wanted to join an after-school basketball program. But there weren’t enough girls to form a team and she wasn’t allowed to play with the boys. That didn’t stop her from crafting a solution – recruiting peers to form a new team.

“I got a bunch of girls who were willing to play. It was a very pivotal moment and definitely motivated me to inspire young girls to break boundaries,” says the No. 1 WNBA draft pick of 2020, who joined the New York Liberty.

Moved by her hustle (made famous by a Slurpee story she shared on Instagram), Xbox recently teamed up with Ionescu to surprise her former youth basketball club, The Cal Stars, with custom Nike Blazers, Xbox Series S consoles and custom Xbox Wireless Controllers. (Cal Stars is one of 32 Nike Girls’ Elite Youth Basketball Programs in the nation.)

Ionescu and Kelly Sopak, Ionescu’s former club and high school basketball coach, chose players who had shown longevity and tenure in the club – which spans fourth to twelfth grades – for the gifts.

Head over to Microsoft Stories to read more.