Sabrina Ionescu Imitates Iconic Olympics Moment in Liberty Win
The New York Liberty resumed their 2024 WNBA season with a bang on Thursday, as they defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 103-68.
Per usual, reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart was elite for the Liberty. She finished the game with 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the field, including 3 of 4 from three-point range.
All three of Stewart's made threes came on consecutive possessions in the third quarter. After she hit the third, her Liberty teammate Sabrina Ionescu celebrated by recreating one of the Paris 2024 Olympics' most iconic moments.
Once a timeout was called, Ionescu appeared to imitate Turkish sharpshooter Yusuf Dikec, who won a silver medal in Paris' 10m air pistol Mixed team event.
SABRINA HIT THEM WITH THE YUSUF DIKEC CELLY. 😅
— theScore (@theScore) August 16, 2024
(🎥: @espn) pic.twitter.com/gk6Spu6Ssv
Dikec's all-natural, nonchalant stance while shooting in this event went extremely viral; especially after most other shooters were seen using different types of eyewear and other gadgets to help increase their accuracy.
Sabrina Ionescu hit the Yusuf Dikec celly 😂@sabrina_i20 @yusufdikec pic.twitter.com/PodftSSZ16
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 16, 2024
Just like Dikec, Stewart didn't need any additional assistance when showcasing her sharpshooting ability.
Thursday's win was a historic one for New York According to ESPN, the Liberty beating the Sparks by 35 points marked their third win by 35 or more points this year, which is the most in a single season in WNBA history.
The New York Liberty got their third win by 35+ points this season 👏
— ESPN (@espn) August 16, 2024
That's the most in a single season in WNBA history 📈 pic.twitter.com/fGaYjvMdK4
Ionescu also produced a solid performance, scoring 18 points while adding 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
It has been a great week for both Ionescu and Stewart. They won a gold medal on Sunday against France and are now back to routing their WNBA opponents.
The Liberty improved to 22-4 on the year with Thursday's win, and have looked like the league's best team by far this season.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.