Sabrina Ionescu was a 'huge fan' of Naomi Osaka before the pair of superstars formed a friendship
- Sabrina Ionescu was "always a huge fan" of Naomi Osaka, but now the pair of superstars are friends.
- The WNBA star and 4-time Grand Slam champ represent Bodyarmor and have shot commercials together.
Sabrina Ionescu was "always a huge fan" of Naomi Osaka.
But now, after launching to college basketball superstardom at Oregon and moving onto the WNBA's New York Liberty, the sharpshooting point guard has formed a friendship with the four-time Grand Slam champion she long admired.
The two stars have a lot in common; they were born just two months apart and found themselves thrust into the spotlight right around the same time in their lives. The pair also share a connection to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who mentored them both and was an early investor in the brand they now represent side-by-side.
"I was always a huge fan of Naomi before, and obviously now being on the same team with Bodyarmor, there's this understanding that we're both representing something bigger than ourselves and a brand," Ionescu told Insider. "And so being able to shoot [a commercial] with her, we did form a friendship that's now lasted through the last couple years."
Since filming a Bodyarmor "One More" ad together in 2021, the duo has taken to publicly supporting one another on the court. While in New York for the US Open, Osaka sat courtside at her first WNBA game and watched Ionescu log a near triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists against the Phoenix Mercury.
The former World No. 1 later tweeted that she was "in love" with the WNBA "and constantly inspired by strong, athletic, and beautiful women" like the players of the league. And she even wore Ionescu's Liberty jersey during a training session at the Grand Slam tournament later that week:
While Ionescu didn't catch any of Osaka's US Open matches in-person that year — the Japanese star bowed out against eventual runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the third round — the hoops star did make it to the quarterfinals to watch Maria Sakkari beat Karolina Pliskova alongside NBA great and Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash.
Ionescu says she tunes in to watch Osaka compete whenever she can. She's bound to return the favor and take in one of the power server's matches from the stands soon.
"I watch her matches and cheer her on and we talk, whether it's on social media or text here and there," Ionescu said. "But I think [we're] always supporting each other and just rooting for each other and hoping for the best and success."
The 2020 No. 1 WNBA Draft pick will kick off her third season in the pros with a matchup against 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones and her loaded Connecticut Sun squad in Brooklyn on May 7. Osaka, meanwhile, looks to be in peak form a month out from this year's French Open, having reached her first final in more than a year at the Miami Open in early April.