Sabrina Ionescu, #20, New York Liberty, (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors superstar had one word in response to New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s performance, Tuesday night.
Stephen Curry’s response to Sabrina Ionescu’s performance, Tuesday night, was exactly what everyone else who viewed it live was thinking: “Sheesh.”
Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick by the New York Liberty out of Oregon, rebounded from her lackluster WNBA debut the best way possible: 33 points, 7 boards and 7 assists against the Dallas Wings.
Ionescu channeled her inner Curry, converting 11-of-20 field goals, including 6-of-10 3-pointers. The 5-foot-11 guard netted 5-of-5 free throws as well. Although it didn’t result in a victory, this was a drastic improvement from her debut against the Seattle Storm, Sat. afternoon (12 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 0-of-8 from long range and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in an 87-71 defeat).
It’s no secret that Curry and Ionescu have an amicable friendship. Ionescu strongly considered joining him at Under Armour before settling for a multi-year endorsement contract with the more popular shoe company in Nike.
Sabrina Ionescu is going to be the WNBA’s next dominant star
Ionescu has been in the national spotlight since mid-November with the Ducks. The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 17.5 points, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds en route to leading the Ducks to a 31-2 record and the Pac-12 championship. They were strong favorites to dethrone Baylor for the national championship as well before the cancellation of sports in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Through her first two WNBA games, Ionescu is averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 boards and 5.5 assists in 34 minutes of action. The 5-foot-11 guard is shooting 40.5 percent from the field, including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and converted 9-of-9 free throws.
The Liberty will continue searching for their first victory of the season Friday night against Monique Billings and the Atlanta Dream.