SABRINA Ionescu of the New York Liberty feels cool about trying new moves that Filipino players have been doing and introducing lately to the basketball world.
The 27-year-old Ionescu, who is on a three-day tour in the country, is keen on adopting the Pinoy Step, a basketball move in which an offensive player picks up their dribble, fakes taking a shot, while going towards the basket, before proceeding to make an actual attempt with the last remaining legal step.
The shot allows the ball handler to get past a defender and take a more advantageous shot, while in the air.
The move’s popularity was attributed to Kiefer Ravena and Ricci Rivero.
“I love it. I have been able to see that shot. It’s fun,” said Ionescu, who is on the second day of her visit in the country.
“I really want to take this. That’s the fun part of the game,” added Ionescu during a huddle on Tuesday at The Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.
Her visit in the country also comes months after Ionescu and Team USA defeated France, 67–66, in the finals of the Paris Olympics.
This was Ionescu’s first Olympic gold medal and the United States’ eighth consecutive gold.
The 5’11” guard is also coming off a successful season with the Liberty, which won its first WNBA Championship, beating the Minnesota Lynx in the 2024 Finals.
Averaging 16.3 points last year, Ionescu and the Liberty swept the eighth-ranked Atlanta Dream in two games before defeating the Aces, 3–1, in the semifinals to arrange a championship clash with the Lynx.
Ionescu also wowed Filipino enthusiasts with her skills in a basketball clinic, which was part of her Craft the Future event, attended by Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3×3 player Camille Clarin.
Also joining the drills at the Courtyard inside the Bonifacio Global City on Monday were local basketball players Kacey Dela Rosa and Jhaz Joson of Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines’ Louna Ozar, and De La Salle University’s Marga Jimenez.