Sabrina Ionescu Said Playing Liberty Was Super Bowl for Fever
Sometimes a quote reads worse than it sounds. That was probably the case for what New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu had to say about her team's loss to the Indiana Fever, which saw Caitlin Clark become the first WNBA rookie ever to register a triple-double.
Sabrina Ionescu said New York didn't have enough urgency today: "It's understanding that this is their Super Bowl game. We've beaten them three times already, and we knew they'd come really hungry... Everyone has grown, especially this young [Indiana] team." (Q: @ClassicJpow)
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) July 6, 2024
The text of what Ionescu stated blew up online, especially a bit where she said, " This is their Super Bowl game," in reference to the importance of the game against the Liberty for the Fever. However, Sabrina was very complimentary to Indiana overall, praising the team's growth, and seemed to only be trying to convey that Clark's squad brought a greater sense of urgency to the contest.
Sabrina Ionescu: "It's understanding that this is their Super Bowl game"
— Ashwin (@Sudharsan_ak) July 6, 2024
Could've worded it better esp when your team was guarding a rookie full court like its a Superbowl game for your team as well.#WNBA #FeverRising pic.twitter.com/YZmeUdQnP6
Ionescu emphasized how the improvement from the Fever made the task of beating them tougher and that New York was not going to be able to top Indiana for a fourth time this season without matching their energy.
Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu trading threes is fun. pic.twitter.com/Gj3O9vHrsu
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) July 6, 2024
The Liberty guard had previously been the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double and her and Clark exchanged back-to-back 3-pointers at one point early in the game. Sabrina has been publicly supportive of Caitlin since the latter entered the WNBA, including saying, "good things will happen to good people" in reference to CC.
Sabrina Ionescu about Caitlin Clark :
— Swagata (@socorooopova) July 5, 2024
" ..... good things will happen to good people "#WNBA pic.twitter.com/fl02ziybgT
Regardless, it was indeed a big win for the Fever, Super Bowl or not. Though Clark did play down her own individual accomplishment during the post game press conference. So much so that her teammate Aliyah Boston had to call her out on it.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!