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Gianna Bryant and her teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester were posthumously honored in the WNBA draft on Friday. The three young players died in January in the helicopter crash that also killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
Gianna Bryant and her teammates were thirteen and fourteen years old when they died. They were still too young to be punished, but the WNBA decided to pay tribute in this way.
“They represented the future of the WNBA. They were passionate players developing their basketball skills. They were the next generation of stars in our league,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who wrote the draft of the crown crisis. presented his house.
“This is a dream come true for my daughter,” said mother Vanessa Bryant in a video message. “She worked tirelessly every day and wanted to become one of the best athletes of all time, just like her father.”
The basketball league also announced the presentation of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award. The award will be presented annually to someone who positively contributes to the development of women’s basketball.
Sabrina Ionescu. (Photo: Pro Photos)
Ionescu chosen first in the draft
Sabrina Ionescu was first elected on Friday by the New York Liberty draft. The Oregon college player is the only player to have scored 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in college basketball.
“I am really happy that the WNBA has included these three young women in the draft,” said Ionescu, 22. “They deserve it. I know they looked at the draft with a smile.”
The new season in the WNBA would start on May 15, but due to the crown crisis, it has been delayed to an as yet unknown date.
