Before becoming a well-known name in basketball, Sabrina Ionescu grew up in a household shaped by her parents’ experience as immigrants. Dan and Liliana Ionescu both left Romania and settled in California, where they raised their children. Their approach to work and parenting gave Sabrina values she often talks about today, including discipline and effort.
Who Is Sabrina Ionescu’s Father, Dan Ionescu
Sabrina’s father, Dan Ionescu, is a Romanian-American who fled communist Romania in the 1989 revolution in search of political asylum in the United States. At first, he settled in North Carolina, but after some time, he moved to Northern California and started a limousine service business.
The vice president of content with the Chicago Bulls, Luka Dukich, once met him in an Uber ride in 2020. He recalls talking about her with Dan.
“This is a true story. I was in San Francisco a couple of years ago and got to talking to our Uber driver. He was a friendly Romanian dude,” Dukich shared on X. “He asked me about work, and we started talking about ball. He told me his daughter was going to play college basketball. ‘She must be good!’ I said.”
To which he confidently replied, showing belief in her: “He turned to me and raised a finger and said, ‘No. She is not good. She is THE BEST,'” Dukich shared.
He later added, “I’m from the Balkans. I’ve been around proud Eastern Euro parents my entire life, they’re a people who ALWAYS have ‘the best’ everything. I sort of laughed and was like ‘that’s awesome, man.’”
Who Is Sabrina Ionescu’s Mother, Liliana Ionescu
Liliana Ionescu also fled Romania in 1995, six years after her husband, Dan. During this immigration, she brought their son, Andrei, and joined Dan, who had established a limousine service in Northern California. Later in 1997, she gave birth to twins Sabrina and Edward in Walnut Creek, Calif.
Even Sabrina herself has addressed the topic and explained how she got her work ethic and dedication to work harder. She said, “Work ethic and dedication, I learned that from my parents. They came here, and they’ve worked for everything they’ve gotten and had to work super hard. And nothing was ever given to us as kids. Nothing is ever given to us now.”
During a chat with ESPN, Liliana revealed what motivates Sabrina to practice more. Liliana said, “She’s the hardest self-critic. It motivates her to go back and practice more from learning from her mistakes.”
Dan and Liliana both left Romania at different times and eventually built a life together in California. Their backgrounds and experiences have shaped the way they raised their families.