Ducks Digest

New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Begins Hunt for 2024 WNBA Championship

The former Oregon Duck and 2024 USA Olympic Gold Medalist was a major reason why the New York Liberty earned the top overall seed in the WNBA Playoffs. Ionescu and the Liberty open up their playoff run against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Sept. 22.

Arden Cravalho

Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts against the LA Sparks in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts against the LA Sparks in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Oregon Ducks legend Sabrina Ionescu has led the New York Liberty to the WNBA playoffs for the third straight season. Ionescu is looking to finish the job this time around as the Liberty lost in the WNBA Finals to the Las Vegas Aces in a 3-1 series last postseason.

After finishing the regular season with a 32-8 overall record, New York received the No.1 overall seed in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs as well as home-court advantage throughout their postseason run. The Atlanta Dream received the No. 8 seed despite having a .375 winning percentage and a 15-25 overall record. Not many of the media even have Atlanta winning a game in this opening playoff series.

From 2018-2021, New York has only had one postseason appearance in 2021, losing in the first round to Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury. Since Sandy Brondello took over the head coaching reins in 2022, the Liberty have completely turned their franchise around. She has an 87-42 overall record, including the regular season and postseason.

It also helps that the Liberty have just an absolutely loaded roster from top-to-bottom. They have the 2018 and 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, 2021 WNBA All-Star Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and arguably the greatest point guard in WNBA history coming off the bench, Courtney Vandersloot. Given the great success she has had throughout her career, this veteran piece for New York adds even more championship pedigree and really puts this roster over the top.

Ionescu is still doing Ionescu things, a shooting threat from virtually anywhere she is on the floor. She has learned a lot from Vandersloot and looks even more comfortable running the offense in thanks to her wisdom. The former Duck averaged 18.2 points per game, 6.2 assists per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 1.0 steals per game this season.

Her Oregon counterpart Nyara Sabally has been a spark off the bench for the Liberty as well, specifically around the rim. She averaged 4.9 points per game on 57.5 field goal percentage and 4.0 rebounds per game in her second professional season.

New York Liberty's Courtney Vandersloot, Kayla Thornton, Nyara Sabally, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu
Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot (22), forward Kayla Thornton (5), forward Nyara Sabally (8), forward Breanna Stewart (30) and guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) react against the LA Sparks in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The run at a WNBA title for New York starts on Sunday, Sept. 22 as the Liberty host the Dream at 10 a.m. PT. Game two is on Sept. 24 at 4:30 p.m. PT. If necessary, a third game will take place on Sept. 26. Many predict that the WNBA Finals will be a rematch between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis

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