The Big Lead

Sabrina Ionescu drops hilarious line about All-WNBA first-team omission

By Joe Lago

Oct 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her teams win after game three of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her teams win after game three of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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Sabrina Ionescu hit the biggest shot of her career with a 28-foot, game-winning 3-pointer in the New York Liberty's thrilling 80-77 victory over the Minnesota Lynx for a 2-1 series lead in the WNBA Finals. The cold-blooded dagger drew praise from NBA stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

If New York goes on to win the series for its first-ever WNBA championship, Ionescu's clutch 3 will be cemented in Liberty lore.

RELATED: Caitlin Clark named to All-WNBA first team

Afterward, Ionescu shared what was going through her mind when she let fly with the step-back 3 —  "Yeah, this is in" — and agreed that it was "definitely the biggest shot of my career."

The comment that got the most attention was Ionescu's response to a question about whether she was trying to prove a point after being left off the All-WNBA first team earlier in the day.

"That was just a great All-WNBA second-team performance," said Ionescu, drawing laughs in the Liberty's postgame press conference. "That's it."

In the All-WNBA balloting by a national panel of 67 sportswriters and broadcasters, Ionescu was the top vote-getter among second-team selections with 204 points, including 15 first-team votes. However, she ended up 51 points behind the fifth and final first-team pick, Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, who received 39 first-team votes.

Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark was well ahead of Ionescu with 302 total points, including 52 first-team votes, to earn the fourth first-team spot behind unanimous selections A'ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier and Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.

The All-WNBA first team is a positionless squad, so Ionescu's seemingly innocuous dig could've only been directed at Thomas or Clark. But she wasn't calling out either one. She was just making a joke. In today's WNBA, though, anything can spark a controversy.

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