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Madness Loves Company: Sabrina Ionescu talks AT&T campaign, March Madness, NIL

By Bailey Caldwell

Jul 8, 2022; Chicago, IL, USA; WNBA All Star player Sabrina Ionescu walks the Orange Carpet at RPM Seafood Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 8, 2022; Chicago, IL, USA; WNBA All Star player Sabrina Ionescu walks the Orange Carpet at RPM Seafood Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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AT&T’s latest ad campaign features former college hoops stars watching the tournament together. Sabrina Ionescu spoke with us about her experience on set, March Madness, and more.

AT&T’s 2023 March Madness campaign, titled “Madness Loves Company,” focuses on the idea that watching with other fans is better than watching alone. The ad features Ionescu and AT&T’s Lily, among other former and current NBA and WNBA players, each watching the game on their phone. They gather on the beach singing the March Madness theme song, “One Shining Moment,” celebrating that AT&T allows them to be connected and enjoy the game. You can view the ad here:

We caught up with Ionescu to discuss the campaign, AT&T’s investment in the women’s game, March Madness, and more. Check it out below.

FanSided: I wanted to hear about your experience on set with so many other legendary players. What’s it like being there with the Greg Odens, Adam Morrisons of the world?

Sabrina Ionescu: It was a great experience. Super nice to just, you know, get together all be together, talk about what’s going on in, you know, basketball today, what their experiences were like, and just talk on a human level. So it was super fun. And I’m glad I had the opportunity to do that.

Who was your favorite co-star if you had to pick one?

SI: Greg Oden had just a great personality. And he was just super outgoing and funny. So it was nice to be able to do a shoot alongside him

Now you’ve done a couple of different commercials, you’ve had State Farm, you’ve got your Nike stuff going on, how is this one different?

SI: I think just what it stands for, you know, AT&T and March Madness and the buzz around this time of year in March, and how important college basketball is to the world. And it’s just super exciting to be able to see that in a commercial, it was super light-hearted and funny and told a story about, you know, all of us as individuals, but then collectively partnering with AT&T to continue to promote the college tournament was super exciting.

AT&T has gotten involved with the women’s game specifically at multiple levels. What are your thoughts on that brand and what they bring to that space?

SI: AT&T’s values and goals, and continuing to promote women’s sports and doing that by partnering, you know, with college basketball and continue to push women at the forefront of what they’re doing. And so it’s an honor to be featured in this campaign and to help them do that.

In this latest ad, you’re cutting down a volleyball net. I have to ask, do you think you would have cut down the nets if COVID didn’t happen in 2020?

SI: Yeah, absolutely. I do believe that we would have won, and I would have been cutting down more nets as that year would have progressed.

You played in the tournament a few times. What did that mean to you? What was your tournament experience like in Oregon?

SI: Yeah, I played in the tournament, since my freshman year, and so it was always a fun time of year. We all want to do well. It just brings out the best in you. And a lot of athletes make their names by playing in the tournament and doing really well and leading their schools to new heights. And so for me, it was always exciting. And it was challenging. It was a range of emotions from high and low. But I’ve always, always had such a great experience in the tournament. And you know, wish I could do it all over again.

You definitely, definitely elevated Oregon’s status. How did your experiences in the tournament, and at that school, prepare you for your current status, especially being such a highly followed athlete?

SI: Just the pressure of having to bring your A-game every single game or you’re gonna get eliminated and your season’s gonna be over. You know, there’s no redos. There’s no, I’ll do better next game. It’s now or never, and you have to come and perform and do your absolute best every single night. And in some, you know, in some instances, you might not have enough time to scout a team and you know, you might go in overtime and whatever is at stake, whatever, whatever’s going on, every team is facing some type of challenge and the team that’s able to come and be focused and play the best is ultimately the team that’s gonna win.

What would you say is your favorite memory from your time in the tournament?

SI: I mean, every single year that I played in it brought such a unique experience. From my first year having the Cinderella story of getting to an Elite Eight and the No. 10 seed, even to my junior year, getting to a Final Four and, you know, senior being cut shorter. Every single year, a different experience. And so obviously, I’d say the last year of going to a Final Four and getting a taste of what that’s like, is something that I’ll never forget, and was an amazing experience.

Now, as you’ve come through college and you’re in the W, you’ve become one of the most well-known faces, all these opportunities coming your way. You talked about the pressure. Does having such a large off-court brand impact the pressure you feel to perform?

SI: No, I don’t worry about any of the outside pressure. You know, for me, it’s focusing on what I can control and, you know, that’s my effort and the work that I put in to get the results that I want and I don’t spend any time focusing, you know, on the pressure from, from the outside, it’s really just focusing on what I can do and being diligent to that.

This is the second year in a row that we’ve had a new player join the three-time All-American group. You’re in that group. How impressed are you with the level of talent coming through the women’s game right now?

SI: It’s only doing good for the sport and for the game. And the more talent and the more notoriety and visibility that the women’s game is getting at a younger age, the better the league is going to be, the more fans and supporters are going to follow the league and follow their favorite players. So it’s exciting to see the college game right now and where it’s going and how viewership is continuing to grow and increase year after year. And you know, it’s a testament to a lot of these players that are just getting better at a younger age.

And building that bridge from college to the W is a huge point of emphasis amongst a lot of people in the space. And having college athletes like you would these campaigns with these brands, helps that what do you think other brands can do to maybe emulate what AT&T is doing with featuring the crossover athletes?

SI: Yeah, just continue to, you know, push for value in what they believe in and continues. Just tell stories. I think it’s super important. You know, the crossover between college basketball and the WNBA is, is not drastic, and you know, you leave college, and within a couple months, you’re in the WNBA. And you’re going and you’re playing and you have to adapt and figure out what you can do to survive in the league. And I think, you know, it’s a testament to how hard it is to play in this league. But you’ve got to find a way and you can see the players that do and that struggle with it. So I think it’s huge and super important to do that crossover and to have it present and be now.

With the upcoming players and the new NIL rules, it opens up a lot of possibilities. Are there any specific players you think will really help bridge that gap between college and the WNBA? That will be the next era of superstars that are already here?

SI: I think there are many. Obviously, the ones that have the NIL deals and are already in an elite class in college like Paige Bueckers. There are so many in college right now that are just doing their thing and getting paid to do it. And so I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot more staying in college now to continue to represent the university and themselves and then enter the league at you know, at a prime time for their brand for themselves to continue to represent the team that they’ll be drafted to.

Check out our WNBA hub page for more news, analysis, opinion and unique women’s basketball coverage. And don’t forget to follow FOR(E) on Twitter, FanSided’s home for women’s sports.