When Sabrina Ionescu drained consecutive three-pointers to send the New York Liberty up 2-1 in the WNBA Finals, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith thought of someone special instantaneously… the late Kobe Bryant.
“When I saw [Sabrina Ionescu] step to that side & drill that three and then react the way that she did like, ‘Yeah this is what I do', I thought about Kobe Bryant… He loved that girl and she loved him… That brother was on her mind,” Smith said.”
Bryant and Ionescu had a special relationship before he tragically died in 2020. He even said she would be the GOAT (greatest player of all time) in the WNBA only ten days before his untimely death. Ionescu dominated with Oregon basketball and it translated over to the WNBA.
Her first season was plagued by not only injury but by COVID-19. Starting in 2022, she's made the all-star team every season and also made the 2024 Women's National Team. Her three-point shooting, ball-handling, and all-around game took major leaps since entering the draft.
Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu delivering like Kobe Bryant in the WNBA Finals
Ionescu is having quite the redemption this year in the playoffs. After averaging roughly 9.8 points per game in the 2023 WNBA Finals, this season has been a different story. She had three games of scoring 20+ against the Las Vegas Aces to send them to the Finals.
Now, Ionescu has come up big in the clutch since being in the Finals again. She scored 15 points in Game 2 but shot 55% from the field. Fast forward to Game 3, she missed four shots and committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter. Regardless, she wanted the ball in her hands in clutch time.
For starters, she hit a side-step three over reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Napheesa Collier with under a minute remaining. Then, with the game tied, she got the ball on an inbound play and took the clock as close to zero as possible. Ionescu calls for a screen, rejects it, steps back over Kayla McBride, and knocks down the near 30-foot three-pointer.
As the Liberty are planning to end the series, they'll need to continue to rely on Ionescu's heroics. Although they have the 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart, Ionescu proved she's worth more than the All-WNBA second team. However, that's the least of her concerns at this point. Bringing home the franchise's first WNBA championship would cement a legacy unlike any other for the proclaimed GOAT.
Follow Us
Subscribe
