Camille Clarin: I feel like we have to say this out loud because we basically manifested it.
Pongga Gaston: We really did. Oh my gosh! We talked about it, we put it out there, and somehow, here we are.
CC: So here’s a conversation we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. Let’s take a seat with Sabrina Ionescu.
CC: Hi, Sabrina! So first of all, congrats on winning this year’s Commissioner’s Cup. We are so thankful to have you here and take a seat. I’m Camille Clarin and with me, my partner-in-yap, is Ponggay Gaston.
Ponggay: Hi, Sabrina!
Sabrina: Hello!
Ponggay: Okay, so basically, this show is built around a really simple idea. In a world that keeps asking us to move, it’s nice to have a space where we can just slow down and talk.
CC: And we believe that the best conversations happen when athletes have the chance to talk about more than just the game and everything that shapes them beyond it. So every episode of Take A Seat starts with the same question. So we’re gonna get things started and ask you that question: what brings you here to this moment in your career and this space?
Sabrina: First, thanks for having me and good to see you guys, but I would say a lot of hard work and belief. I don’t think, you know, I could have gotten here by chance, but you know,
or gotten lucky. I think a lot of it is just belief in myself, hard work, discipline, and kind of just the ability to dream and want to be at the level that I’m at playing in the WNBA, playing professionally and around the world. So I would say it’s been a really fun journey and I’m really excited with where I’m at and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Ponggay: Wow, I love that. So, Sabrina, I’m gonna ask you, off the court, what does taking up space or taking a seat actually look like for you these days? In real everyday decisions?
Sabrina: I think it looks different in every, in every decision or in every room. I think it’s sometimes understanding when you have to be a leader and when you have to speak up about what’s important to you and I think sometimes, there’s situations where you just need to listen and be a really good listener, and I think that’s also taking a seat at the table. Just kind of being able to understand the situation but know that your presence needs to be felt one way or another and having the confidence to understand that you deserve to be in every room that you walk in and you deserve to have your perspective shared. I think that’s something that’s really powerful and knowing that your voice carries weight and to believe in it.
CC: And when you’re on the court, you carry a lot of weight. You are a matchup nightmare and the world knows you as Sabrina Ionescu. But outside of that, outside of that aura, when do you feel yourself? When do you feel most yourself outside of performance?
Sabrina: I’d say definitely like at home or just not when I’m playing, even just at practice or when I’m working out in the gym by myself. Just an ability to kind of be present, kind of go through your thoughts, figure out what it is you’re thinking about, and how you can be better. And at home is kind of one of those times where you’re able to just decompress and you know, be around family, food, and kind of step away from your everyday life of being on the court, and take a moment to just be thankful. And you kind of get up tomorrow and get back at it.
Ponggay: I love that. There’s nothing like being at home. So now the Sab 2s, you know, what you were doing with that, it’s really all about making space, right? And now that that space has been made, how do you hope that your fans will continue to evolve in that space with the Sab 4s?
Sabrina: I think, as my shoe has evolved, I feel like the fans have evolved with it. And I think that’s been something that’s been really fun, from the stories we’ve tried to tell from the 1 all the way to the 4, and fans have… new and old fans have kind of been around for all of it. So I think it’s been really fun to see how that’s grown. And for me now, on the Sab 4, which has been an amazing journey. I hope we just continue to bring in more fans and continue to kind of create this space that allows for an amazing basketball shoe to take place on courts all around the world and young boys and young girls. It’s been really fun to see how that’s shaped to where we are now and where it’s going to continue to go.
CC: Amazing shoe is an understatement. I have also been around from Sabrina 1 to Sabrina 4, still my choice of shoe right now and I think that it just speaks to that kind of impact that you have on the game and then everybody who wears your shoe as well. So on that note, what kind of space should continue to exist for the next generation?
Sabrina: I think it’s just having this belief that you can go out and accomplish anything that you want and you’re able to see that through, like colorways that we’re adding Nike by You, which has been really really fun for me to be able to see on social media honestly all around the world. People creating their own colorways and telling their own stories and kind of being their authentic self through my signature line, which has been really exciting. And then, obviously, I think you’re able to see, like, innovation continue, like, we continue to grow on the innovation side, and wanting to continue to be better and take steps, but also making sure that it’s still uniquely a Sabrina shoe. Every single time you put it on, you know what you’re feeling in terms of it being really comfortable and you feel confident when you step out on the court. But you’re able to see that we’ll keep adding. Now, there’s gonna be a fly plate in the shoe that hasn’t been in the shoe in Sabrina 1 through 3, and so that’s something that we’re really excited to showcase to all athletes everywhere, and hopefully just continue to get more and more comfortable as we go.
Ponggay: Yeah, you know, we’re really lucky… this generation to have such talent and such amazing shoes and with that, you first visited Manila during your Asia tour last year, and you know, we know that you have built a personal connection with your Filipino fans. How do you imagine this connection evolving moving forward?
Sabrina: I’m super excited to have been able… and blessed to have been able to go to Manila. I still sometimes run into fans who were like, “We saw your tour and it was amazing.” So it’s really special to be able to just have that kind of connection and be able to talk about how important and significant that trip was not only to me personally, but understanding how important it is globally to continue to grow the game of basketball. And knowing we can do it in the Philippines where basketball is just everything. And so it was really fun for me to be able to see that and understand we’re still trying to grow the game of women’s sport. That’s something that’s never gonna just stop, and so for me, being able to be a signature athlete knowing we have to continue to put work in to grow the game of basketball, and I love doing that through my signature line. Continuing to add different tools and innovation to try and be the best and continue to be at the top of my game. And so, obviously, like in the technology of the shoe itself, the traction is something that is always top of the list for me to wanna continue to improve on, and that’s something that we continue to kind of tweak and find different ways. And then, obviously, always having comfort over anything else. Like, I want to make sure every single athlete, even young… young athletes that are stepping out, whether it’s in a gym or outside, know they could put the shoe on and feel really confident and comfortable. They can go out and win a basketball game and be the best they can.
Ponggay: I love that, it’s perfectly, like, what you said about the young athletes. Well, I’m sure that there will be young Filipina athletes watching this, what would you want her to believe about what’s possible?
Sabrina: I would say believe in yourself and don’t get… you know, down or negative if things aren’t going the way that you had envisioned it but, just understanding it’s gonna take kind of a process and you have to be absorbed in that process, you know, whatever that looks like. Continue to have a dream and wanna go out and accomplish it, but it’s not always gonna be easy. And most of the time it’s not and that’s what makes it really rewarding. And so obviously, my kind of idea that I would want to tell her is just go out there and don’t be afraid to do it. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Don’t be afraid to dream really big, and you know, whatever happens, it’s meant to happen.
CC: And the women of this generation, we are dreaming. And I think that you really hit it on the spot that everyone’s less afraid nowadays, right? And the game is continuing to evolve. So how do you hope to evolve alongside it? You’ve really lit the trail, but both as a player and as a woman, what’s your role now evolving alongside of it?
Sabrina: I think you said it best, like, we’re not afraid. And women obviously have, I would say, never been afraid. We’ve always been at the forefront of standing on what we believe in andI think now you’re able to see that globally, and everyone’s starting to understand, like of course, women are at the top like that’s how it should be. And so for me, I think it’s continuing to just grow and you know the person that I am, the basketball player that I am continuing to strive to be better every single day, and just be absorbed in my process and wanting to be the best role model and mentor, knowing it’s a lot bigger than what I’m doing on the court but doing off the court as well. And continuing to be that role model that young girls and boys can look up to in the stands and know you can be a really good person and mentor and also do what you do on the court.
CC: Well I mean, we’ve pretty much covered all of the things we want to hear from you, but I think we should just like we said taking a seat is kind of the whole idea of it. We just want to chill. We just want this conversation to be like we’re just friends chilling. My actual question is relating to something you said before where you like to be at home, chill, eat, what is your favorite post game meal? What is your go-to? You just won the Commissioner’s Cup, what were you eating? I’m very curious…as a foodie. I just wanna know.
Sabrina: Well, my family was here so Romanian food is something that is, like, very obviously
we’re all Romanian. And so every time my mom comes to town, it’s like home cooked meals, Romanian food, and so when the family’s together, like, that’s literally what we’re eating. So my mom was just chefing up for the last, like, week, making the best food. She makes soups and different types of meat, and it’s just always a fun time ‘cause you’re able to just be with family and eat traditional food.
Ponggay: Wow, I gotta try that Romanian food.
Sabrina: It’s good!
CC: Next time you come to Manila, you have to put us on.
Sabrina: Okay. Or maybe I’ll bring it, like, with me!
Ponggay: Wow, okay! I would love that!
CC: We’ll probably ask Mama Ionescu to come and yeah, we can have a whole thing. We’ll host, but she has to cook it!
Ponggay: So Sabrina, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this opportunity. And thank you for inspiring me and Camille and everyone in the Philippines. Personally, I love your shoe and I love your game, so I know that you’re gonna be inspiring a lot of athletes and a lot of Filipina athletes.
CC: So keep showing up, keep making space, but don’t forget to take a seat once in a while.
Ponggay: See you guys in the next episode! Bye!
[WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON THE LIGHTNING LAB YOUTUBE CHANNEL OR LISTEN ON SPOTIFY]
