The star point guard Sabrina Ionescu has had an illustrious career at the New York Liberty. The 26-year-old has dazzled her way into stardom with her immaculate skills to be one of the standout players in the Liberty locker room. However, her exceptional talent was scouted by none other than legendary NBA star Kobe Bryant when she was a rookie at Oregon.

Consequently, that started a special journey of Sabrina with the Bryant family that flourished even after his unfortunate demise. She gave proof of that special bond recently with a special birthday message for his eldest daughter, Natalia

Sabrina Ionescu’s lovely gesture toward Natalia

Sabrina Ionescu recently went to Instagram being among the first to extend her birthday wishes to Bryant’s eldest daughter. She shared a story captioned, “I Love You” along with tagging the 21-year-old. The story features a candid moment between the Liberty star and Natalia as they share a laugh and a hug. Apparently, Ionescu has a long-standing relationship with Natalia and the entire Bryant family. The two-time WNBA All-Star first ran across the Black Mamba on Jan. 11, 2019. Kobe along with his daughter Gigi were at USC to witness an Oregon game.

Following this, Ionescu decided to collaborate with Gianna Bryant over the summer before the 2019-20 season. In addition to this, she was also coached by the five-time NBA champion when she was also a part of the Mamba Ballers. After this, over the next year or so, Ionescu’s bond with the Bryant family grew stronger. Unfortunately, the early morning helicopter crash that resulted in the sudden demise of both Kobe and Gigi devastated her completely.

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Seemingly, Sabrina was not the only one who made Natalia feel special on her birthday.

Vanessa’s special message for her daughter

A special gesture was extended from Natalie’s mom as well on her birthday. She took to Instagram and posted pictures and videos of Natalia over the years along with Stevie Wonder’s version of “Happy Birthday.” The post captioned, “Happy birthday 21st birthday @nataliabryant!!!” she captioned the post. “We love you so much!!!! You are what every parent hopes and prays for. You are such a beautiful, strong, smart, loving young woman with the kindest soul and I am so proud to be your mommy! I love you, mama!”

There is no doubt that Ionescu’s bond with the Bryant family transcends beyond the basketball court. With time, their relationship has only grown stronger. Further, this on and off-court bond is an ideal example of how the sport can lay the foundation of true and virtuous connections.

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