California high school basketball program names gym after WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu

More than a decade ago, Sabrina Ionescu was dominating the girls’ high school basketball scene in California.

Now twelve years after she graduated and left for the University of Oregon, the WNBA star will see her name permanently etched into history at Miramonte High in Orinda. A petition that garnered more than 500 signatures to name the school’s gymnasium after Ionescu was approved by the school district’s governing board in a unanimous vote this week.

In doing so, she was noted as somebody who has made “contributions of state, national or global significance.”

“She is not a retired legend being honored in hindsight; she is a living, breathing, active athlete in the prime of her career, shaping the sports world in real time,” Kelly Sopak, her longtime high school and club basketball coach, said in a news release. “That makes this moment even more extraordinary.”

Ionescu was California’s Ms. Basketball in 2016, named a McDonald’s All-American and later won MVP honors of the game after scoring a record 25 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Nationally, she was a top-5 recruit in her class and a late signee for Oregon as the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Ducks at that time.

At the college level, she was twice named the John R. Wooden women’s national player of the year, as well as earning Naismith Player of the Year honors as well in 2020. Ionescu was also tabbed as the Pac-12 Player of the Year three times and was named to the all-league team in each of her four seasons in Eugene.

Ionescu has continued her dominance in the WNBA

The New York Liberty selected her with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, and since then she has been a four-time All-Star and led the team to a championship in 2024. Renowned as one of the most popular players — among both men and women — she also became the first women’s player to launch a unisex signature shoe with Nike.

At the high school level, she was was a dominant force, foreshadowing what could come at the collegiate and pro levels.

In Ionescu’s four season, Miramonte went 119-9 while she set school records for points (2,606), assists (769), steals (549) and triple-doubles (21).

Added Superintendent Dr. John Nickerson: “She was not only one of the greatest athletes to come out of Miramonte, but also one of the greatest athletes of her generation and a role model whose courage, work ethic, and leadership can inspire our students and community every day.”