AFTER three days of star-studded basketball, the 2025 Sabrina Manila Tour: Craft the Future finished with WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu sparking hope in the Philippine women’s basketball community.
Ionescu’s Manila tour was nothing short of extraordinary, with encounters with the country’s rising female stars, men’s professional players, and inspiring children in Santa Maria, Bulacan.
While women’s basketball has been considered unconventional for many years, Filipinos, like all basketball fans across the world, are gradually realizing that these ladies deserve to be acknowledged in this sport.
Celebrating Women
Ionescu had an exciting trip to the country, filled with many inspiring interactions with her Filipino fans. The New York Liberty star showed gratitude for having the opportunity to grace the country and leave an impactful legacy.
”Salamat, Manila,” Ionescu hyped up the crowd, thanking them after the Team Puso vs. Team Laban faceoff at the Big Dome on Tuesday as a part of the 2025 Sabrina in Manila: Craft the Future Showcase.
“I just want to say thank you. Obviously, the goal and the legacy that I want to leave the game better than I found it, continuing to grow the game of basketball.”
“Being able to show up here in the Philippines and do just that, I want to say thank you to all the young guys and young girls, continue to dream big,” she went on to say.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Ionescu stated that the attention that men’s basketball is currently receiving can still benefit women’s. This is assuming that these ballers will simply focus on elevating the sport.
“One of the roles men can play is to support basketball as a whole, without specifying gender. It’s about understanding that it’s basketball, and everyone’s an athlete, working on being the best versions of themselves,” she said.
The gold medalist Olympian is the first Nike athlete to visit the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. She came on Sunday and was greeted by an enormous amount of fans and had a series of panels and clinics the following day.
Inspiring the Next Gen
The tour concluded on Wednesday with a visit to her Filipino fans at Sacred Heart Academy, where she unveiled two of the newest Girls Got Game basketball courts.
Ionescu also hosted a basketball clinic to help aspiring female athletes improve their basics and inspire the next generation to forge their own pathways in women’s basketball.
“Seeing Sabrina here in the Philippines visiting us is very inspiring and motivating,” 13-year-old LJ Makiraya told a media. “It made us feel na dapat mag-strive kami, katulad ni Sabrina, para ma-achieve kung saan siya nakatayo ngayon.”
Moreover, Makiraya also shared some of her plans in the future, “Someday, sana po maging pro player din po ako tulad ni Sabrina. Sana makapag-compete din po ako sa women’s NBA.”
Meanwhile, Sarrah Costan, the 28-year-old basketball program director of Girls Got Game, highlighted Ionescu’s impact on the girls and how this experience will inspire them to achieve more in the future.
“For me, sobrang laking bagay niya para sa young girls dito sa Philippines, na nakita nila in-person si Sabrina, tinuruan sila mag-shoot, ng skills, kasi nari-realize nila, nakikita nilang ito ‘yung pwede nilang ma-achieve,” she said.
Undoubtedly, seeing a female basketball star like Ionescu will alter the landscape of Philippine basketball. She is now on her way to Guangzhou, China, and then Hong Kong to complete the remainder of her Asian trip.
