NEW YORK — Between midday class periods in middle school, Sabrina Ionescu scooped food onto trays of her fellow students in California’s Bay Area. Working in the cafeteria entitled her to free lunch and guaranteed her a meal.
When her twin brother, Eddy, passed through the lunch line, she often dished him an extra helping. She knew he enjoyed the added serving, but she also reasoned that when she finished her responsibilities, she could mooch off his plate and benefit as well. “I served that lunch as best as I could,” she said. Who would expect anything different?
As a child of Romanian immigrants, unending determination and work ethic were the fabric of Ionescu’s upbringing. Even when her middle school didn’t have enough players for a girls basketball team, she recruited and convinced her classmates to sign up and play.
“Being able to just see how hard my parents had to grind to be able to make it here, speaking no English, finding a job. It’s something that’s ingrained into who you are,” said Ionescu, whose first language is Romanian. “It’s something that you never forget. That’s just how you grew up, and I’d say that’s why I am who I am today.”
Presently, that’s a WNBA and Olympic champion with global reach, a star whose signature Nike sneaker…
