Sabrina Ionescu didn't have the perfect college experience or start to her WNBA career.
Nor did she dream of shooting a brutal 1-of-19 shot in Game 5 of her first WNBA Finals.
Still, Ionescu said Sunday night was a “storybook ending” as his Liberty team defeated the Lynx 67-62 in overtime to win its first championship and break New York City's 51-year basketball championship drought. declared.
This marks Ionescu's first victory in her career, which includes her college days.
“I feel like I was imagining what I would do if I had won for a long time,” Ionescu said after the win. “I don't think you realize it until that moment, you're kind of in shock. … It was that exact moment, the same thing we did here in New York. We just won in overtime. It just felt like a breath of fresh air.”
A year ago, Ionescu might have been more upset about his lackluster performance in the final two games of this year's WNBA Finals against the Lynx, where he totaled 15 points right after hitting the shot of the year. — in the final seconds of Game 3 when he hit a 28-foot shot to seal the victory.
A title certainly changes the tone, but this past season showed maturity in the guard, and Ionescu didn't seem to mind that she didn't contribute much in the biggest moments of her career.
Rather, she had a bigger picture than just a stat sheet.
Waiting five seasons to win your first WNBA championship title may seem like a luxury to some.
Liberty teammate and 2024 WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones knows that after nine years of waiting and four Finals appearances.
But the 26-year-old former Oregon State star graduated in 2020, with his senior season and chance to compete for an NCAA title taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She helped Oregon State advance to the national semifinals her junior year.
The Walnut Creek, Calif., native was later selected by the Liberty with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, but suffered a severe ankle sprain in her third WNBA game, ending her rookie year with the Liberty going 2-20. season.
The injury lingered into the 2021 season, and things improved in 2022 when Sandy Brondello became head coach and Ionescu's health improved.
“I don't want to get too emotional, but 2020 has been the toughest year of my life and I'm dealing with a lot personally…” Ionescu said Sunday night. “To be able to be here in 2024, a few years from now, and just see the effort you all put in…this is a dream. If you believe in yourself and keep going, good things will happen.”
In his first season with the Bronderos in 2021, Liberty went 12-20 and lost in the first round of the playoffs after missing the postseason from 2018-2020.
In 2022, Ionescu averaged 17.4 points per game, earning his first All-Star selection and finishing second in the Most Improved Player Award.
The additions of Brianna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot and Jones will make the Liberty a super team in 2023, making Ionescu a more versatile and developed player.
She endured heartbreak after losing to the Las Vegas Aces in the 2023 WNBA Finals and being exposed to top talent at the 2024 Olympics, and to avoid becoming what she calls “one-dimensional” , developed a game other than 3-point shooting.
Ionescu had his best and longest season with the Olympics coming up in 2024, averaging 18.2 points and a playoff career-high 16.9 points per game.
“I'm just so grateful and blessed. This isn't the end,” Ionescu said. “This is the beginning for me and I'm really excited. We've just scratched the surface of what we're trying to accomplish here.”
