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New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu sounded a lot like the late, great Kobe Bryant after she guided her team to a 2-0 lead over the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs.
Ionescu — who tallied 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in New York’s 88-84 victory — downplayed the fact that her team was just a win away from reaching the WNBA Finals for a second consecutive year (they lost to the Aces in the 2023 Finals).
In her post-game news conference on October 1, the sharpshooting guard said her team hadn’t achieved anything yet, providing an answer that resembled Bryant’s attitude after his Lakers took a 2-0 lead over the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
“Being up 2-0 is great, but we haven’t won anything,” Ionescu said. “I think everyone knows that. We did what we were supposed to, which is protect home court. We won two at home, but it’s not like we’re patting ourselves on the back and celebrating.”
In 2009, Bryant said, “What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished.”
Sabrina Ionescu Idolizes Kobe Bryant
In the years before Bryant’s tragic demise in 2020, Ionescu and the Lakers legend formed a close relationship dating back to her time as a collegiate athlete in Oregon.
Bryant and his late daughter, Gigi Bryant, often visited Oregon’s games to watch Ionescu in action. Ionescu even credited Bryant for pushing her and helping her grow from a shooter to a more well-rounded player. Along the way, Ionescu also became friends with Gigi, who, too, tragically died in the 2020 helicopter crash.
In the aftermath of their deaths, Ionescu delivered a powerful speech at his memorial ceremony, through which she thanked Bryant for supporting her through her wins and defeats.
“More importantly, he didn’t just show up in my life and leave. He stayed,” Ionescu said of Bryant, via LA Times. “We kept in touch, always texting, calls, game visits. I’d drop a triple-double and have a text from him, ‘Another double triple-double I see you’ with a flex emoji. Another game, another text. ‘Yo, Beast Mode,’ or ‘Easy money.’
“He taught me his stepback; he told me that if I could bring that to my game, it’d be over for any defender trying to guard me. He told me how high my arc needed to be on my shot, how to angle my foot, which led to kick-out. How much power to push off. ‘Real sharpness comes without effort,’ he said.
“He was giving me the blueprint. He was giving Gigi the same blueprint. He united us.”
Will The Liberty Get Sweet Revenge?
In 2023, Ionescu’s Liberty lost 1-3 in the WNBA Finals to the Aces. With Liberty up 2-0 over their rivals in the semifinals a year later, they stand on the brink of exacting revenge on the reigning two-time WNBA champions.
If Liberty were to win the 2024 WNBA title, Ionescu would have played a big role in delivering the franchise its first championship.
In the first four games of the playoffs, Ionescu led her team in points (24.5), assists (6.0), 3PM (3.5) and steals (1.8) while maintaining incredible 53/42/93 shooting splits. To put things in perspective, no player had reached those marks in league history.
During the 2023 playoffs, Ionescu wasn’t nearly as dominant, averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 assists in Liberty’s 10 postseason games. Furthermore, she was mostly the fourth option on a star-studded Liberty team, behind Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney. In 2024, however, she ascended to one of the top two scoring options for head coach Sandy Brondello.
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