Ducks Digest

Sabrina Ionescu, Nyara Sabally Parade Through New York After WNBA Championship

After beating the Minnesota Lynx in the fifth game of the WNBA Finals 67-62, the New York Liberty is celebrating their historic win with a championship parade in New York City. Two former Oregon Ducks, Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally, join in on the festivities.

Ally Osborne

Sabrina Ionescu, of the New York Liberty acknowledges the fans, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan.
Sabrina Ionescu, of the New York Liberty acknowledges the fans, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Liberty won the WNBA Finals in a nail-biting, game-five overtime win against the Minnesota Lynx with a final score of 67-62. Contributing to this historic victory and playoff run were two former Oregon Ducks: guard Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally.

Before floats and cars even hit the streets of Downtown Manhattan, nay-sayers online claimed that the New York crowds simply wouldn’t show up for the New York Liberty’s WNBA Championship parade. These critics couldn’t be more wrong, as the streets were full of fans for the third ever ticker-tape parade in the “Big Apple” for a women’s sports team.

Sabally was the stand-out of the final contest to clinch the title. Sabally entered the fifth game with Liberty behind by seven at the half. With back-to-back layups assisted by Ionescu, Sabally was able to give the Liberty their first lead of the game. In the third quarter, Sabally went 3-4 in foul shots and scored nine points for her squad. She also stepped up in overtime with a lay-up and a steal to help the Liberty trot to victory. She ended the game with 13 points and six rebounds.

Sabrina Ionescu, of the New York Liberty acknowledges the fans, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan.
Sabrina Ionescu, of the New York Liberty acknowledges the fans, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ionescu on the other hand didn’t have her best game in the final contest. She went 1-19 in shooting during the game, and mostly assisted on defense. Though Ionescu wasn’t on a hot streak for game five, she was a key player during the regular season and playoffs to get the Liberty team their rings after so many years. 

Furthermore, given both women were apart of the 2019-2020 Oregon women’s basketball team that likely would have won the NCAA Championship title if their season had not been cancelled due to COVID, there was a lot to celebrate finally getting ringed.

During the parade, Sabally and her sister Satou Sabally (both played for Oregon in their collegiate careers) along with Ionescu greeted the thousands of fans that showed up for the victors. Ionescu even went into the crowd to greet folks.

Ionescu wore a custom-made Nike jacket for the parade. The black leather piece had several personal touches to the design, including the Liberty playoff run scores of 2–0 over the Atlanta Dream, 3–1 over the Las Vegas Aces, 3–2 over the Minnesota Lynx. There were also catchphrases like “Liberty has a nice ring to it,” and “Yerrrnescu,” sewn into the jacket referencing the athlete and her team. Ionescu also had her “S” Sabrina logo on the upper left sleeve. 

Sabrina Ionescu, of the New York Liberty is shown during the ticker-tape parade, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan.
Sabrina Ionescu, of the New York Liberty is shown during the ticker-tape parade, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ionescu fans may remember the star wore her Oregon Ducks “Sabrina 2” kicks in a green and yellow colorwave during the WNBA finals as a nod to the Ducks football program beating Ohio State 32-31.

Ionescu also hit the famous “Night, Night, Night” celebration while enjoying parade festivities.

Sabally wore a New York Liberty graphic t-shirt, leather work jacket, and skirt for the parade. She also wore a WNBA Championship hat, which she also gifted her sister, Satou, after the Liberty clinched the title. Satou also posted about her sisters’ win after the game.

With the Liberty’s win, Oregon is one of three collegiate schools in the nation to have both WNBA (Ionescu and Sabally) and NBA (Payton Pritchard) champions.

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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A born and raised Oregonian, Ally was raised going up and down the steps of Autzen Stadium. Ally graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021. She currently works at KOIN 6 and Portland's CW in Portland, Oregon where she hosts the lifestyle program "Everyday Northwest" and reports for the KOIN Sports team. She's also a graphic designer in her free time, with several of her works created for Oregon athletes.

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