WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu made history on Monday when she arrived to Manila, Philippines, for the first leg of her three-leg Asia Tour. She is the first women’s basketball player with a signature Nike sneaker line to tour Asia, and the New York Liberty guard is the first WNBA player to make the trip.
Manila is the first stop of the tour. From there, Ionescu will visit Guangzhou and Hong Kong. She will join several youth basketball clinics, host a grassroots camp for girls, check out Nike retail stores, and pay a visit to local schools. Ionescu also played in an exhibition showcase while in the Philippines, where a controversial play went viral.
Basketball fans were also quick to get upset over how she acted toward a high school kid during an exhibition game. But she managed to crack a smile after the play ended.
Sabrina Ionescu, 27, is a three-time WNBA All-Star who helped the Liberty win the championship last season, so maybe the California native is just one of the most competitive athletes.
However, the play is a big deal for some considering WNBA players in the past had publicly demanded the same pay as NBA players. Ionescu was beat fair and square by a men’s high school basketball player.