Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner—some of the most revered names in the beautiful game—continue to play a significant role in its growth. Post-retirement, they have all contributed to women’s soccer by joining the investor group of Bay FC. But as they say, the more, the merrier, it only makes sense for WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu to join the NWSL side as another major investor, leaving fans in awe.

Both the Romanian-American basketball player and the club shared this latest announcement just a few hours ago. Having become the WNBA champion with the New York Liberty, the Olympic gold medalist is clearly venturing into uncharted waters of another sport. Ionescu steps into the beautiful game not just as the latest investor of Bay FC but also as the team’s official Commercial Advisor.

Being a Bay Area native herself, the 27-year-old’s tasks primarily involve helping to strategize the commercial aspects of the team while also supporting the team’s stars in building their brand endorsement portfolios. Notably, a clip was shared by Bay FC and NWSL on Instagram showcasing Ionescu donning the club’s jersey and having a photoshoot with a soccer ball.

Simultaneously, she was heard speaking about her latest move: “I was a young girl that wanted to grow up and be an athlete and was able to do so because of the resources I had in the Bay Area,” Ionescu began. “Being able to be a part of Bay FC and just be there to be able to support a lot of these athletes and kind of bring in those resources that I have,” added the 3x All-Star.

Talk about being a natural as Sabrina juggled the ball just fine. She also added the same reel on her Instagram stories and added a two-word reaction saying, “Let’s gooooooooo.” Meanwhile, another post showcased some remarkable photoshoots of Sabrina, accompanied by some more words about her latest move.

“As someone with deep ties to the Bay Area, this opportunity holds even more significance and I’m truly honored to be a part of such a special endeavor to continue to grow women’s sports,” she said. The New York Liberty guard also expressed her desire to be a torchbearer for the players, providing them with all the necessary resources to excel.

Bay FC CEO Brady Stewart also expressed his happiness over the joining of the WNBA star. “Sabrina is the ultimate innovator and creates new pathways for aspiring and current professional athletes. Adding her passion and vision to what we are building at Bay FC will allow us to further disrupt the sports landscape.” 

Notably, the WNBA is currently in its offseason. So that saw Ionescu take part in the 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled. She represents Phantom BC, averaging a decent 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. However, Sabrina has currently stepped away from the Breanna Stewart co-founded league due to prior commitments.

Either way, it’s good that she has now found her calling in a completely different sport but with a common aim of promoting women’s sports. No wonder it had to leave the fans on cloud nine.

NWSL community go berserk over Sabrina Ionescu’s new Bay FC role

Moments after his post was shared on the Meta app, ardent fans went clearly over the moon. That only saw them take over in the comment section and celebrate Sabrina Ionescu’s joining.

Honestly, this is more than huge than one could imagine. Over the years, we have often witnessed diverse athletes investing in different sports ventures. Like LeBron James invested $6.5 million in Premier League giants Liverpool back in 2011 to attain a 2% stake, which was eventually converted into a 1% share in the Reds’ owners party, Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Looks like Ionescu is keeping this tradition alive!

“WHAT!!! THIS IS HUGE!!!!! 👏❤️”

We were just about to mention this. To be honest, doesn’t it look like Bay FC has literally announced a new signing for their roster? Well, to many it seems so and we won’t deny it either. In fact, the colors of the club actually suit Ionescu. So we shall put this out then that if the WNBA ever wishes to play soccer someday, kickoff’s the word!

“Sabrina looks good in a Bay FC kit!”

Well, if not a soccer team, we’d expect Sabrina Ionescu to at least think of joining the city’s basketball team. Yes, yes, one is aware that the guard-pointer is actually doing more than well at her current WNBA side New York Liberty. But now that she has ties with the Bay Area, it won’t be a harm for the 27-year-old to think about Golden State Valkyries. Just a proposal Sabrina! Rest, hear this fan’s thought as well:

“One step closer to joining the woman’s basketball team (Valkyries).”

One cannot deny the growth women’s sports have attained, especially in America. Revered names across different forays have stepped in to start promoting women’s sports. Be it Alexis Ohanian and Natalie Portman co-founding and putting their millions in NWSL’s Angel City, Magic Johnson saving the LA Sparks, Dwyane Wade part owning the Chicago Sky, or Tom Brady investing in the Las Vegas Aces—the trend continues to grow. And today was yet another day of progress in women’s sports!

“Just a casual Monday of GOATS investing in women’s sports >>>”

Call it a WNBAxNWSL collab, but the truth is that it definitely looks solid. In fact, it might just have been the association that everyone needed for the sake of their future. Surely, Sabrina Ionescu will be bringing a lot of expertise to the table that will help Bay FC evolve more in the league:

“The best crossover 🥹🫶🏼”

This is just a glimpse of the reactions that you saw. However, the concluding note remains that it is quite a significant development for the future of Bay FC. Let’s see how Sabrina Ionescu does her job in the NWSL now.