On Sunday, Sabrina Ionescu finally celebrated a moment she had long dreamed of, as the New York Liberty clinched their first-ever WNBA title with a 67-62 overtime victory against the Minnesota Lynx, ending a 51-year championship drought for New York basketball.
Despite her struggles, including shooting just 1-for-19 in the decisive Game 5, Ionescu described the win as a “storybook ending.”
“I feel like I was envisioning what I was going to do if we would have won for like a long period of time,” Ionescu said.
“I don’t think until you get in that moment do you realize, like you’re kinda in shock. … That was just in that moment like we did it here in New York. We just won in overtime and just kind of this breath of fresh air.”
First title
This triumph marked Ionescu’s first championship at any level, as she never had the chance to compete for a national title in college.
For Ionescu, the road to success began with setbacks. After a standout junior year where she led Oregon to the national semifinals, her senior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, denying her a chance to compete for the NCAA title.
She entered the WNBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft but was sidelined early in her rookie season due to a severe ankle injury that kept her out for most of the year. The Liberty struggled without her, finishing with a 2-20 record.
The lingering effects of that injury carried over into 2021, and Ionescu was not at her best. It wasn’t until 2022, under new head coach Sandy Brondello and with improved health, that she began to regain her form.
That year, the Liberty made a playoff appearance, and Ionescu earned her first All-Star selection, averaging 17.4 points per game, a testament to her resilience. She was also a close runner-up for the Most Improved Player award.
The addition of star players such as Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot, and Jonquel Jones in 2023 turned the Liberty into a formidable force.
After enduring a tough Finals loss to the Las Vegas Aces in 2023 and challenging herself at the 2024 Olympics, Ionescu returned to the WNBA with a renewed focus.
This transformation culminated in the Liberty‘s title run, where Ionescu‘s leadership and perseverance helped guide the team to victory, even if her shooting touch deserted her at times.
Read the full article here
