Everyone knows about the legendary career that Serena Williams has had during her playing days. The American icon dominated the WTA circuit, winning an astonishing 23 Grand Slam titles, along with a host of other big trophies. While her accomplishments on the court need no description, very few know about one of the major pillars behind her success. It was her agent, Jill Smoller, who is considered a pioneer in the women’s sporting movement. Smoller was a long-time agent of Williams and also attended many of her matches. With Williams enjoying her retirement now, rumor has it that Smoller is now managing another top athlete.
Yesterday, New York Liberty scripted history by winning the WNBA title. One of their star players, Sabrina Ionescu ended her much-awaited drought, winning her first title with New York Liberty. Her team defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 67-62 to lift the trophy. Interestingly, it is rumored that Jill Smoller is managing Ionescu and is the woman behind her massive rise in brand value. When Ionescu’s team celebrated the title win with the trophy, her team members shouted, “We want Jill! We want Jill!” when they took the group picture. This gave fuel to the rumors that Jill might be working with Ionescu and helping her with sponsorship deals.
Is Jill Smoller also Sabrina Ionescu’s agent? They kept on yelling, “We want Jill! We want Jill!” when they took a group pic. pic.twitter.com/QHgaEztS86
— Corbin (@Dr_CorbinCWong) October 21, 2024
Back in 2020, powerful NBA agent Bill Duffy was managing Ionescu. Duffy helped the basketball star choose WME Sports agency and Josh Pyatt, who worked with the late Kobe Bryant, and Jill Smoller, led the team representing Ionescu. Back then, Ionescu signed a deal with Nike, which was the largest ever for a female basketball player.
Ionescu is widely regarded as one of the best talents of this generation. Smoller also helped Ionescu with many other deals and heaped praise on her.
Jill Smoller on Sabrina Ionescu: ‘She is a once-in-a-generation kind of athlete’
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the sporting world came to a standstill. Despite difficulties ensuing back then, Smoller was keen to close a deal between Ionescu and a headphones brand, Beats By Dre. Additionally, there were also talks of Ionescu partnering with three beverage companies with strong offers on the plate.
Describing how Ionescu was one of the most sought-after players, Smoller said, “Everyone has stepped up to the plate because she is a once-in-a-generation kind of athlete. The men are just as enamored with her as an athlete as women are. When you saw her go up and speak at Kobe’s memorial, you saw there she has a poise that is way beyond her years and is very articulate. On the marketing front, it’s a no-brainer, but I think she’ll be able to do speaking engagements.”
With Ionescu winning her first WNBA title with New York Liberty, her brand value is only set to peak from here. Thus, it won’t be a surprise to see her partner with some top brands in the coming months.
The post Tennis Rumor: Serena Williams’ Former Agent’s Popularity in Sabrina Ionescu’s Team Raises Speculations Over Her Role appeared first on EssentiallySports.
